Seek Truth
by Charlie Hayden
Summary: Post-ROTJ Luke Skywalker receives an invitation to Lake Varykino by a mysterious woman. Problem is that it extends to his entire family, including his father who lives in exile. Luke, Leia, Han, Anakin, Padmé.
1. The Invitation

_**A/N: **This is the first three-part installment to the Seek series that I am writing. Because they each only consist of three chapters, I have this one already written. Explanations will be explained in the story as it progresses. This is a story of how the Skywalker family learns to mend after the end off ROTJ.  
_

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_**Chapter one: The invitation.**_

_Chaos. For the first time, the Death Star was rocked by explosions as the Rebel fleet, no longer backed against a wall, zoomed over, unloading a heavy barrage. Imperial troops ran in all directions, confused and desperate to escape._

In the midst of this uproar, Luke was trying to carry the enormous deadweight of his father's weakening body toward an Imperial shuttle. Finally, Luke collapsed from the strain. The explosions grew louder as Vader drew him closer.

"Luke, help me take this mask off," Vader said in a whisper.

Luke looked at him. "But you'll die,"

"Nothing can stop that now. Just for once... let me look on you with my own eyes," Vader told him.

_Luke hesitated. He could sense his father's weakened state but what was more, he wanted to die. After all the years of believing his father was dead and he was now given the chance to know him, Luke wasn't going to give up. He wasn't dying yet. "No," he said. "You're going to live." And with that determination in mind, Luke picked up Anakin's body and continued to carry his father to an awaiting shuttle where he would go to the nearest medical facility. _

Luke Skywalker pulled the cowl of his cloak up over his head to protect himself from the severe suns rays. Tatooine just didn't seem to have changed at all in the last six years. Luke had decided that he really wouldn't return and had said so plenty of times. But he had returned for a purpose. His purpose just didn't know it yet. For the past six years since the Empire was defeated over Endor, and Luke had saved his father's life, Luke had little communication with his father, and since he had gone into exile, Leia had even less. Now with both Leia and Han deciding that they were going to be getting married, followed by an uncertain invitation, Luke felt it was his duty to inform his father and had traveled to the worlds he thought his father would be only figuring out that he'd be on Tatooine all along.

Luke turned into an old Cantina in Mos Espa and sat down at the bar, deciding he would ask questions there. He signaled to the bar tender and ordered a bantha blaster, which he received quickly. He listened to the conversations going around him. There were gangsters, bounty hunters, wanted criminals, space pirates, smugglers and a few slaves, even a few dancing girls in the bar. A Jedi wouldn't be caught dead here. A Senator would want to be here less. Han would love it. Slumping further against the bar, Luke tried to ignore the goings on. A female twi'lek waltzed up to proposition herself to him. Luke wasn't really interested and sent her away. She didn't seem to be bothered and moved to the next man in the cantina. And then much to Luke's horror a male Zoltan moved over to him. The almost nonexistant clothing marked him as a prostitute as well.

"Good evening," the man said, sitting down next to Luke and signaling for a drink.

"Good evening," Luke said, trying to decide if he wanted to leave before he was propositioned again.

"Nice weather we're having," the man drawled out his words, and Luke felt...interested.

"Yes, hasn't been a sandstorm in weeks," he agreed, something he'd overheard earlier.

"What are you looking for here?"

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"It's Tatooine, stranger. Everyone is looking for something when they come here."

"I'm looking for my father. He came here some time back, and I need to talk to him."

"Why would your father come here?" the man asked.

"He grew up here, I think. He wanted to be left alone." Luke answered.

"Perhaps you should honor that wish," the man said, turning on his barstool and moving closer to Luke.

"No, he needs to talk to my sister, she's getting married, he will want to be there, I'm sure," Luke said, getting uncomfortable.

"Well, would you like some company until you are able to find him?" the offer came and Luke actually felt tempted to take it due to the pheromones that the man exuded until he felt out with the Force to the man's mind, finding it broken, only whole enough to put on the front of civilization for long enough to bed someone for his master. Revolted, but enough of a Jedi not to let it show, he said, "Sorry, just here for a drink, then I will go see if he's on our farm."

"I understand," the man said and moved off of his barstool.

As Luke tried to keep himself from watching him walk away he felt the entire Cantina stiffen and turn to the door. Luke knew why, he felt his presence outside and sensed that his father knew he was here. Luke waited until he found a table in the back before Luke ordered two more bantha blasters before carrying them over to where he had sat, offering one to his father.

"What are you doing here?" Anakin demanded.

"I could ask the same of you," Luke replied as he took a seat and sipped his drink.

Anakin frowned but offered no explanation.

Luke looked up to his father's scarred face, even if he didn't show it, he was glad to see him. "Han asked Leia to marry him," he informed him. He watched Anakin's frown deepen.

"What did she say?" Anakin asked.

"She called Han a stuck up scruffy-looking nerf herder once again before she decided that he was serious and said yes," Luke told him. "I nearly laughed out loud when Han asked for my blessing first. He was uncharacteristically nervous. I told him that he should have asked you for good measure. He just said he would when he's dead."

"That can be arranged, did you tell him that?" Anakin asked. Luke just shrugged.

"I like Han well enough," Luke told him. "He's a good guy and he loves Leia."

"That isn't why you're here," Anakin observed. He knew that even if it were that his daughter wouldn't have agreed to give him an invitation to her wedding, she despised him.

Luke shifted in his seat before he pulled out a datapad containing an electronic invitation. "I received an invitation to visit Lake Varykino on a planet called Naboo," he told him and felt the strong feelings coming from his father at the mention of the lake and the planet.

"From who?" Anakin asked, borderlining on demanding.

Luke shrugged again. "I don't know, it doesn't say," he answered. "The invitation isn't just for me," he told him.

"I'm not going," Anakin quickly told him.

Luke looked at him. "It specifically says the Skywalker _family_," he told him. "That extends to you."

"Your sister would be more comfortable if I didn't join you," Anakin pointed out.

"She'll get over it," Luke told him firmly and dismissively.

"I'll never go back there," Anakin told him.

"You said the same about Tatooine," Luke pointed out. "Yet here you are," he countered.

"I said that to throw you off my scent," Anakin told him. "You're about as persistent as a jawa is to spare parts."

Luke kept himself from laughing at his father's discomfort. "When are you going to forgive me for saving your life?" he asked.

Anakin frowned. "I already have," he told him.

Luke downed the rest of his drink and signaled to the bartender. He leaned forward against the table. "You're going," he told him firmly. "Even if I have to tie you up and kidnap you like bounty," he added.

Anakin's frown deepened. "You can try," he told him.

Luke leaned back in his seat, rested the back of his head against his crossed arms and propped his feet up on the table. "So you're content with hiding?" he asked. "Ben would tell me otherwise," he pointed out.

"Obi-Wan's version of the truth is misleading," Anakin told him.

Luke merely smiled. "Still not over that?" he asked and kept himself from laughing when he heard his father grumble under his breath in Huttese, calling Obi-Wan some rather foul names. He accepted another refill for his drink. "Ben only shows himself on occasion, he'd show himself to you if you'd not try to strangle him with the Force," he pointed out.

"I'd like to do more to him..." Anakin grumbled.

Luke had gotten used to his father's resentment towards his old mentor and friend and his violent tendencies, even if they were less than before. "So why are people here scared of you?" he asked.

It was Anakin's turn to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "I killed a few slavers," he said.

"A few?" Luke asked raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, I kill every one that I see," Anakin corrected himself.

"This is the third planet that you've been to that you've done this," Luke pointed out. "Why are you so obsessed with slavers?" he asked.

Anakin didn't answer him, choosing to instead snatch the datapad from the table in front of his son and read over the formal invitation. The words were eloquent and the handwriting was a display of perfect penmanship. A RSVP was enclosed. One for Leia Organa plus one, accepted, Luke Skywalker plus one, accepted and Anakin Skywalker. Anakin took a stylus from his pocket and added that he will not attend before sending and tossed the datapad at his son who caught it and frowned at what he had written.

"Why are you so opposed to going?" Luke demanded.

"Because I will not return to that place," Anakin told him sternly.

"Why not?" Luke challenged.

"Strange that I was not graced with a plus one," Anakin muttered, evading the question.

Luke frowned. "You're stalling," he pointed out.

"I am not stalling, I just refuse to answer," Anakin corrected him.

"I have plenty of time for you to tell me as I'm staying until I have to leave for Naboo," Luke told him casually, making Anakin frown.

Luke downed the rest of his drink again and slapped some credits down at the table. "Where have you been hiding?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask around?" Anakin demanded.

"You came to me, remember?" Luke told him.

"Only because you'll eventually find me, why make things harder?" Anakin told him.

Luke merely smiled. "So, where can we talk more privately?" he asked.

"Come on," Anakin said downing his bantha blaster before he stood with Luke following him.

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She gazed over Lake Varykino, a dozen memories flooding through her mind. She would face him again. She knew that he had returned but she delayed their fateful meeting for six years. In only a matter of two weeks she would see him again. _But what if he didn't come?_ She brushed that notion off. He would come. She knew it. Glancing at the datapad in her hand, she saw one message trying to get through. Opening it, she saw the invitation she had sent was returned. Luke and Leia had checked off that they would come, plus one for Leia and no one else for Luke. She frowned as she found a familiar scribble loosely called handwriting stating that Anakin Skywalker will not attend. She frowned deeply. He had to come. She quickly tried to send a message back to Luke, surely he would get his father to see reason.

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Luke looked around the dusty shop, seeing the odd parts here and there. "You bought this place?" he asked.

"Yes."

Luke looked at his father. "Why?" he asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I like fixing things," he said.

"Okay," Luke replied running a gloved finger along the counter and looking at the dusty finger. "Don't you ever clean?" he asked.

"I don't see the point on Tatooine," Anakin told him.

"So you plan to stay here permanently then?" Luke asked.

"It's home," Anakin told him simply.

Luke understood that much. "Tell me the truth, did you kill the previous owner?" he asked.

Anakin grew agitated at that question. "Of course not!" he snapped.

Luke looked him in the eye. "I had to ask," he told him.

Anakin turned from him and continued working on the books. "And obviously think very little of me that I would revert to the ways of a Sith," he muttered.

Luke walked over to him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Looking at the books. Some money has been missing, I'm trying to find out where it went," Anakin told him.

Luke looked at the books, which were all written in Huttese. "I can't read that," he told him.

Anakin briefly looked at him. "I can teach you," he told him.

Luke merely shrugged in response. "It's not that important," he said. "So you've been to Naboo?" he questioned.

"Yes."

"Will you tell me about it?" Luke asked.

"No."

Luke leveled his father with a look. "Why not?" he demanded. "Why do you hate it?"

"I do not hate Naboo. I hate Tatooine. I loved Naboo," Anakin told him irritated.

"Then why don't you want to go back there?" Luke demanded. "Further more, if you hate Tatooine then why are you here?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Anakin pointed out irritably.

"How else am I to learn things?" Luke replied. "I have to wonder who would send the invitation," he mused when his father went back to the books. "Do you have any idea?" he asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked.

Anakin closed his eyes and willed patience into him. "There is only one person I can think of who would invite us there and she's dead," he told him.

Luke frowned. "Who?" he persisted.

"Your mother, that's who," Anakin told him irritably.

Luke was stunned. In the seven years that he had known his father was alive and the six years that he had spoken to his father, he still has yet to even know his mother's name or anything else about her. "I don't even know her name," he said forlornly as he took a seat on a cooling unit in the room.

Anakin looked at his son, his irritation melting away. Luke had always wanted to know where he had come from, that much he had been able to sense. Closing the books, he made a decision. "Come on, let's go get something to eat from the market place," he said straightening up.

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Luke stood back as he watched his father bargain in the market. He suppressed an amused chuckle when his father told the stand owner that his was over-charging for the pallies and started to berate the stand owner and persisted in bargaining. Luke caught him attempt a Jedi mind trick more than once with several stand owners but this one seemed to be immune and persisted in arguing with his father who resisted the urge to strangle the man on sight. Luke had heard his father argue his point excessively to the point that he realized that arguing with his father was almost pointless. The stand owner while adamant finally realized this and lowered the price finally, enough for his father to take more pallies than was absolutely necessary.

"You could have walked away," Luke pointed out as his father rejoined him.

"Out of the question," Anakin told him stubbornly, biting into a pallie.

Luke grabbed a pallie from the basket before his father could slap his hand and took a bite. "Was it really that important?" he asked between bites.

"Yes."

Luke shook his head as he finished the pallie and tossed away the seed. "You took an awful lot," he observed. "You must really like them."

Anakin tossed away his own seed. "You seem to like them," he said swatting Luke's hand this time when he reached for another pallie.

Luke gave him a stung look as he took his hand away.

"Get over it," Anakin told him, not falling for it as he led him to a small hovel and unlocked the door before walking in.

"This is rather small," Luke commented.

"I used to live here, you know," Anakin told him, walking towards the kitchen to put the food away and to start cooking.

Luke looked around, finding the place to be a bit sparse. He did however note the number of spare parts and an unfinished droid. He fingered the partially pieced together droid. "What kind of droid is this supposed to be?" he asked, looking into the kitchen.

"Astromech," Anakin answered him.

"Do you have a designation in mind?" Luke asked, clearing off a chair from droid parts before taking a seat.

Anakin walked into the kitchen doorway to look at his son. "I would prefer Artoo-Detoo but you have him," he told him.

Luke looked at him. "You know Artoo?" he asked.

"He saw me through the Clone Wars," Anakin told him.

"He saw me through the Rebellion," Luke informed him. "What about Threepio? They're pretty much inseparable," Luke asked.

"See-Threepio?" Anakin asked. Luke nodded. "I built him for my mother when I was nine," he answered.

Luke laughed. "I'm tempted to tell Leia and Han," he said. "They like to call him Goldenrod."

"He wasn't always gold, that was your mother's doing," Anakin informed him.

"What was she like?" Luke asked interested and grew dismayed when Anakin went back into the kitchen instead of answering him. He could sense his father's emotions on the subject and instead took out his datapad and activated it, finding a message from the same address that the invitation came from. He read it over.

"_Remind your father that he doesn't like coarse, rough and irritating sand and remind him that everything on Naboo soft and smooth. "_

Whoever this person was obviously knew his father very well and obviously wanted him to come to Naboo. Looking over to the table, Luke watched as his father set it and took note of the rough earthen place settings before he put the food on the table. He set his datapad aside, walked over to the table, and took a seat after clearing a char. His father did the same. He watched as his father rubbed his neck before rolling his head around. "Your neck bothering you?" he asked.

"Yes, I think a sand storm is coming," Anakin answered.

"How did your break it?" Luke asked.

"A Jedi broke it," Anakin told him. "Of course, wearing that heavy helmet didn't help much."

Luke nodded. "It's amazing that you weren't paralyzed," he commented.

"Ever heard of cybernetic implants?" Anakin asked.

Luke frowned as he thought about it. "You've had more work done than I care to imagine," he commented.

"I have Obi-Wan to thank for that," Anakin commented.

"Ben would say that you have yourself to blame," Luke countered and hid his smile by eating a piece of dried gorg when his father cursed Obi-Wan under his breath. "You're going to have to forgive him at some point," he pointed out.

"Perhaps when I'm dead," Anakin grumbled. "Boonta Eve is tomorrow, they're supposed to race the Boonta Eve Classic," he informed him.

Luke instantly perked up at that. "I thought it was outlawed?" he questioned.

"Obviously that law s not observed this far into the Outer Rim," Anakin told him. "Do you want to see the race?" he asked.

"I'd like to race in it," Luke told him.

Anakin smiled. "I already did," He told him taking a bite of some lamta.

"When?" Luke asked.

"I was nine," Anakin told him. "The only human to enter and win."

"I used to race through Begger's Canyon with my T-16 Skyhopper shooting womp rats," Luke told him as he tried the lamta. "Uncle Owen used to complain about it," he added.

"I only met Owen Lars once," Anakin told him.

"How was he related to me?" Luke asked. "I at first thought Aunt Beru was your sister or something until I learned that her maiden name was Whitesun."

"Owen was my step-brother. His father married my mother," Anakin explained. "I was an only child and I had no other family," he put in.

"What about my mother?" Luke asked, persistent about knowing _something_.

Anakin frowned. "Your mother had one sister. So far as I know, she's still alive, as well as her two daughters. I don't know about her parents. Her only living grandmother died during an inquiry about your mother's death," he answered him.

"What was her name?" Luke asked. When it became apparent that his father wouldn't answer, he persisted. "I should at least know her name," he told him reasonably.

"Padmé, she was a senator. She went by the name Amidala but her birth name was Naberrie," Anakin told him at last.

"Was that really so hard?" Luke asked as he continued to eat.

"Yes."

"Why?" Luke persisted.

Anakin set his utensils down and looked his son in the eye. "When you find someone you are willing to give up _everything_ for then we can talk," he told him.

"Leia doesn't believe that you are capable of love..." Luke informed him.

Anakin picked up his cup of Jawa beer and calmly took a sip. He refused to let it show how much his daughter hatred for him and how she thought so little of him bothered him. "How does she expect you and her to have come into existence?" he asked.

Luke shrugged and continued eating, but that was all his father needed to know.

Anakin set his cup down, coming to a decision. "Fine, I'll go, if only to show your stubborn holier-than-thou sister a thing or two," he told him.

Luke looked up at him, not expecting that reaction.

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As Luke tucked in that night, his father having had to clear a room out enough for him to sleep, Luke wondered just how many spare parts littered the hovel. Luke sent a message back to the mysterious person who contacted him that his father had changed his mind because he wanted to show his sister some things but Luke didn't elaborate, he just told this person that his father didn't need any reminders. He did send back a few questions, asking how this person knew his father and if he knew his mother before he settled down for bed. He didn't notice his father watching him as he fell asleep though.

Once he was sure that his son was asleep, Anakin picked up his son's datapad and activated it, finding the address the invitation came from. He sent his own message back using his old screen name from when he was once a Jedi. _Who are you?_ Anakin dearly hoped that this wasn't some trick, that someone wasn't out to hurt him or his children or else that person would pay dearly.

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Anakin watched as his son enjoyed the festivities of Boonta Eve and when the pod race was about to start, Luke began to engage him in a conversation about techniques, different types of pods, and the different pilots. Luke's eagerness and excitement put a smile on Anakin's face periodically. He was seeing a side of Luke that was still a kid, the part of his son that had wanted to share this with his father more than once as a kid.

"I wish that I could race," Luke said wistfully.

"Perhaps next year," Anakin told him. "I'll secure you a pod."

Luke looked at him. "Is that an invitation?" he asked.

Anakin shrugged. "It is whatever you want it to be," he told him.

"You've never said anything about me joining you on anything since Bespin," Luke commented.

Anakin looked at him. "I assumed that you wouldn't want to do anything," he told him.

"I just didn't want to join the Empire or abandon my principals," Luke told him.

Anakin frowned, on the verge to tell him exactly why he done the things he had done but decided against it. "It is strange that Jabba isn't around to signal the start of the race," he commented.

"That's because Leia killed him," Luke told him. When his father turned to him, he elaborated. "We rescued Han. Lando went in first as an undercover guard. Leia then went in undercover as a bounty hunter before she unfroze Han and Jabba captured her. I then went in to bargain but Jabba refused. He tried to feed me to both his rancor and the sarlacc before Leia killed him and we left, blowing up his sail barge in the process," he explained.

Anakin frowned, knowing what Luke meant by Leia being captured by Jabba. If his daughter hadn't killed the Hutt, then he would have. "I suppose it is a good thing that he is dead then," he said.

"Why?" Luke asked looking at him.

"Because I'd kill him nice and slowly," Anakin told him.

If there was one thing Luke was sure about it was his father's will to kill anyone who would cause he or Leia any harm. He accepted this while Leia abhorred their father's tendency to kill and to be fair, their father wasn't very secretive about it when he killed anyone. Luke accepted that in this respect his father wouldn't change and only took solace that the people his father killed deserved it in one way or another. "Leia and Han are supposed to pick us up in seven days," Luke informed him and when his father didn't say anything he asked, "You haven't changed your mind about going to Naboo, have you?"

"No."

"You should give Han a chance you know," Luke told him.

"How about I freeze him in carbonate again?" Anakin replied.

Luke frowned. "That wouldn't help things between you and Leia," he pointed out.

"I am not the problem in that department," Anakin told him stubbornly.

"Of course you're not," Luke replied placidly. "But you don't do anything about it," he pointed out.

Anakin frowned but didn't say anything on that matter. Instead, he continued to watch the race.

Luke got the hint and dropped the topic for now. He accepted that his father was a very difficult being and imagined that his mother had to have been a great women to have put up with him.

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Luke received a message from Leia that she and Han were had just landed in Mos Espa and replied for them to meet him in the junk shop his father had decided to put him to work in. His father had told him very sternly that if he insisted on staying for the time being, he would have to do some work instead of lazing about. Luke hadn't argued with him, he was used to work and hard labor. Before he started working in this place, albeit temporarily, he never thought that there would be a worse task maker than Uncle Owen. He was glad that this stint under his father was only temporary.

"What are you doing in here?" Leia's voice was heard while Luke had finished cleaning the shop up.

"Father insisted that I do some work," Luke told her.

"Here?" Leia asked, looking around skeptically.

Luke shrugged. "Don't ask me, Father was the one who bought the shop," he told her straightening up. "Where's Han?" he asked.

"With the _Falcon_," Leia asked. "This place looks like..."

"I just finished cleaning it, it looked worse," Luke told her.

"So is he coming?" Leia asked.

Luke nodded. "It took some heavy arguing," he told her.

"I'm sure," Leia commented. "What would he want with this junk?" she asked.

"You should see where he lives," Luke told her. "It's littered everywhere with spare parts. You have to clear spots just to sit," he informed her.

Leia raised a perfectly arched eyebrow in response as their father walked in from the back with a customer, who was trying to haggle.

"That hyperdirve is worth more than a hundred credits!" Anakin snapped.

"It looks dinged up!" the customer argued. "You'd be lucky to get more."

"It runs perfectly!" Anakin snapped. "I fixed it up myself."

"And you could have tampered with it," the customer argued.

Luke stepped in before his father Force Choked the man. "My father is very competent mechanic, if he says it runs smoothly then it does," he told the man.

The man snorted. "He charges too much," he said.

"Get out of my shop!" Anakin ordered before he lost his temper.

"Gladly, I'll just go somewhere else," the man said.

"Good luck!" Anakin shouted after him and then cursed the man in Huttese.

"Is that how you do business?" Leia asked making her presence known.

"I do not over-charge, the price for that hyperdrive is very fair," Anakin grumbled not exactly answering her question.

Luke just shrugged at his sister.

"Are you prepared to leave?" Leia asked.

Anakin looked at her. "Leave?" he asked.

"We're leaving for Naboo today, remember?" Luke reminded him.

"Yes I remember," Anakin told him.

"Is there any more customers?" Luke asked.

"No, I'm closing the shop," Anakin told them, shutting the roof for the yard and locking it before ushering them out and locking the shop with a tight security code.

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Because there were a few things that their father wanted to take care of, Luke took the time to show his sister around Mos Espa despite her protests that she didn't plan to spend more than two minutes here. Luke wanted to be alone with his sister so that they could talk. "I think out mother comes from Naboo," he told her thoughtfully.

Leia looked at him. "What makes you think that?" she asked.

"Father's reluctance to return to Naboo coupled with the fact that it's like trying to pull a Wookiee's teeth just to get him to talk about her," Luke answered. "I know her name finally," he told her.

"What?" Leia asked.

"He said she was a senator and that her name was Padmé. That she went by the name Amidala but her given name was Naberrie," Luke answered.

Leia gave him a sharp look. "She was a leading member of the Delegation of 2,000, they were strictly opposed to the emergency powers awarded to Palpatine," she told him.

"I didn't know that," Luke commented and the continued. "I think he really loved her, he seems to be still mourning her death," he told her.

"I find that hard to believe," Leia told him.

"He's not as bad as you're making him out to be, Leia, he's changed a lot," Luke reasoned. He wished that his sister would change her mind about their father.

"Is he still killing people?" Leia asked pointedly.

"Only slavers," Luke answered. "He's got some obsession with that."

"I don't know, Luke, I don't think I'll ever trust him enough to be civil," Leia told him honestly.

"He loves us, I know that," Luke persisted.

"Are you sure that isn't your blind hope misleading you?" Leia asked.

Luke was about to answer her when he spotted his father walking towards them, haversack over his shoulder. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Lets get this over with," Anakin grumbled before they walked to the hanger that the Falcon was parked.

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Hyperspace on the _Falcon_ with only the four of them was filled with stress. Taking off from Tatooine proved to be some trouble due to the hyperdrive failing. Anakin took the opportunity to tell Luke that it was sign from the Force that he should stay put but Luke wouldn't hear it, and instead told him to fix the hyperdrive. After they kicked off, Anakin had retreated to an unknown spot to brood alone much to Leia and Han's relief but Luke just sighed.

Anakin ignored his son's deep sigh and left for the engine room to at least try to be alone. At least that was his hope before he was no longer alone.

"You've been expected on Naboo for a long time, Anakin."

Anakin whirled around angrily at hearing Obi-Wan's voice. "I am only going because I was trapped into a corner," he ground out.

"Luke is very persistent when he wants something, he gets that from both his parents," Obi-Wan commented. Anakin glowered at him so he spoke quickly. "You'll find a treat on Naboo," he told him.

"Stop tormenting me with riddles, old man!" Anakin snapped.

Obi-Wan merely smiled. "Who's the old man now, Anakin?" he replied.

Anakin growled as his arm shot out, grabbing a surprised Obi-Wan by the throat with the Force.

"If you're going to be that way," Obi-Wan said, regaining his usual calm, and faded from sight.

Anakin shook his fist at Obi-Wan's retreating form. "And don't come back!" he shouted. He then began growling in Huttese.

"Who are you yelling at?" a voice interrupted his furious muttering.

Anakin turned to see Leia standing in the doorway. "An annoying little ghost," Anakin grumbled.

Leia gave him a look that clearly said that she though he was crazy. "Well if you're done, Han has the mid-cycle meal ready," she informed him turning and leaving.

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"He was back there shouting to air," Leia said, taking a seat next to Han who put an arm around her.

"Probably, Obi-Wan," Luke commented as he began eating. "They haven't really made up yet," he explained.

"Isn't Obi-Wan dead?" Han asked. "Or did we see some trick on the Death Star?"

"Oh, no, he did die, but he's still around, you know, through the Force," Luke said.

"I'm still not convinced that this hooky religion of yours is based in reality," Han said, gesturing with his hands, his arm still around Leia.

Luke was about to calmly reply when he lost the chance.

"I can make you a believer," Anakin said darkly from the doorway.

Luke heaved a deep sigh while Leia frowned and Han turned to face Anakin. "I never needed some mystical force guiding my path or controlling what I do, I'm just fine the way I am thank you very much," he said condescendingly.

Luke recognized the look in his father's eyes when he was about to Force Choke someone and quickly intervened. _'Don't'_ he sent through the force, he turned to Han. "Just because you can't touch the Force doesn't mean it isn't real," he told him. He turned back to his father. "Did you try to strangle Ben again?" he asked tiredly.

Anakin took a seat next to his son. "I'm tired of his riddles," he grumbled as he took the food Luke offered him.

"Yeah, they're not really all that helpful, but he does try," Luke agreed and Anakin grunted in response.

"I'm hoping to speak to Queen Kylantha about joining the New Republic while we're on Naboo," Leia said speaking up.

Anakin snorted. "Good luck, she was Palpation's puppet," he put in.

"It is still worth a try," Leia insisted.

"Don't bother, wait for the next queen. Naboo won't stand for her rule much longer. I know the system well enough that they are rallying for her removal as we speak with your mother's family in the lead," Anakin told her.

Luke looked at his sister, giving her a look, before looking at his father. "Why is that?" he asked.

"Your mother was Queen and despite Palpation's effort, she is still remembered with love and respect among her people," Anakin told him and then focused on eating.

"Is she buried there?" Luke asked and got no response. "Father?" he asked.

"You can go see for yourself if you want, I won't go," Anakin told him. "You can drag me back to Naboo but I will not go there," he told him stubbornly before standing and leaving.

"Pleasant isn't he?" Han said dryly.

Luke looked at Leia. "See what I mean?" he asked.

Leia nodded, somehow sensing the emotions that her brother had spoken of.

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Leia walked into the forward hold finding herself alone with her father. She saw him sitting down with his eyes closed so she turned to leave before she heard his voice.

"You don't have to leave."

Leia turned to him slightly. "I don't want to disturb you," she told him.

"You're not, your presence is soothing, like your mother's was," Anakin told her standing.

Leia turned to him remembering Luke's assessment that he had loved her mother. She didn't want to believe it but it was apparent that he held strong feelings for her still. "What was she like?" she asked and right before her eyes she saw him close down.

Anakin turned from her. "Is there something that you need?" he asked mechanically.

"I just asked you," Leia told him. When he didn't say anything she scoffed. "We're going to her supposed homeworld, we'll only going to learn about her anyway. Luke believes that you loved her but you can't bring yourself to say anything about her but little snippets. You did something to her didn't you?" she accused.

Anakin turned to her then. "Your mother had more self-respect than to ally herself and get involved with a pirate and smuggler who worked with the Hutts! She had more dignity than to tarnish her public image," he told her, instantly going to the defensive by going in for the attack.

Leia narrowed her eyes at him. "Han is an honorable man, which is more than I can say..." she began but stopped.

"More than you can say about me? Is that what you were going to say?" Anakin demanded. "You won't think the same way when another debt comes up and he losses you to the Hutts and trust me, your highness, your brief tenure in Jabba's palace is nothing compared to permanent ownership," he told her before he left the room, not allowing her respond to his comment.

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Upon their arrival to Naboo, Han went to pay the man in charge of the docking bay for the hold of his ship but Anakin had beat him to it by swiping his own credit disk into the man's computer. When Han gave him an incredulous look, Anakin calmly explained that they didn't know how long they'd be and he had an endless amount of funds. Luke had to intervene in what would have started a fight and Luke had no doubt that his father might kill Han if he had enough reason to. Luke had reasoned that they follow Anakin to this Lake Varykino since he had been there before and knew his way. Unfortunately, the ride to the Lake and the gondola ride up to the estate was met with silence.

For Anakin, seeing the villa that he and Padmé fell in love at and were married in was met with melancholy instead of the happiness he used to feel whenever he visited. Luke and Leia were seeing it for the first time and were amazed with its beauty. Han, however, felt like the person who invited them was snobbish and decided that he would not fit in. Han's thoughts amused Anakin for he knew the Naberrie family well enough to know they weren't snobbish.

Teckla and Nandy apparently still worked on the estate and Paddy Accu had apparently been replaced by a younger man than he was. A man Anakin quickly learned was Paddy's son when he asked where Paddy was and that Paddy had died years before. After that was cleared up, they were shown to their rooms and learned that supper was served on the side bored in the dining room and that the lady of the estate would return to the house shortly to join them.

"Should we wait?" Luke asked, looking at his father.

"You can," Anakin told him. "I'll eat later, I'm going to lay down for a bit," he said heading off to his assigned room, finding it to be the same one he stayed in when he was assigned to protect Padmé. He didn't lay down, instead he stood by the window and gazed out into the garden. He wondered if this room was what his wife intended to be set up for the nursery.

"_Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo. We could go to the lake country where no one would know . . . where we would be safe. I could go early-and fix up the baby's room. I know the perfect spot, right by the gardens,"_

But they never got the chance. Had she known that she was carrying twins? Anakin scratched that thought, she would have told him. They talked about their impending parenthood in excess. Anakin remembered the way she had seemed to glow then. He closed his eyes and the image of his wife lovingly stroking her swollen abdomen filtered through his mind. If she had just lived, she would have been the perfect mother. He knew that with all his heart.

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It was decided that they would wait for their hostess before they ate. In the mean time, Luke, Leia, and Han explored the property each wondering who had sent the invitation. "She must be a relative of our mother," Luke deducted after some thought. "Father said that she had a sister, perhaps she invited us."

"Perhaps," Leia agreed.

"I don't know about you two, but I feel uncomfortable here," Han commented. "This place is suited for the rich," he pointed out.

"You live in a luxurious apartment on Coruscant," Leia pointed out.

"Yeah, but that wasn't my choice in living conditions," Han reminded her.

"I am not going to live in a hole in the ground," Leia told him pointedly.

"Luke lives in one!" Han argued.

"I'd hardly call it a hole in the ground," Luke put in. "What Father has holed himself up in is a hole in the ground," he added.

"I didn't see that," Han commented.

Luke shrugged. "It's not really that big of a deal. Besides, I don't think we should draw any conclusions about our hostess just based on where she lives," he said.

"I agree," Leia told him.

"Well of course you agree, you grew up in a palace," Han put in. "Look, whoever this person is that called us here is, she wants to impress us by this place, well I'm not impressed," he said.

Luke and Leia each held exasperated expressions. "No one is looking to impress us, flyboy," Leia told him.

"I don't get that vibe either," Luke said as he caught the sight of the lake. "I've actually never seen so much water in one place," he commented as he gazed into the water.

"It is perfect for swimming," Leia said.

Luke and Han shared a look before they shrugged. "Whatever you want to do," Luke said.

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Anakin stood at the balustrade of the veranda, leaning his forearms against it as he watched his children and Han down by the lake. The sun was beginning to set and he knew that they would come up from the lake at any moment. He had watched as they frolicked in the water, Han and Luke wrestling in the water while Leia watched and adding her two cents in when she felt it necessary. Now they all sat on the sand and watched the sun. He wondered what they were discussing. And as he watched them, he couldn't stop himself from remembering when he and Padmé would sit down there and watch the sun set over the lake. He liked to imagine that she was looking down on them through the force and he knew that she would be proud of their children but not so much of him, he knew that. If she was able to speak to him, he knew what she would say and it was all things he didn't want to hear. All things that he had already thought himself.

He didn't want to come back here. It was too painful to be here. He had vowed to never return. He didn't want to be here without Padmé. But his children deserved to know about this estate's importance. Of what it meant to both him and their mother. They deserved to know of the love that existed in his marriage, that they were wanted, that they were deeply loved. He came back for them and them alone, not because his presence was requested. Still his mind questioned why he wasn't graced with a plus one or why they were asked here in the first place. Had Padmé told her family? Had they known all these years? He pondered all of his questions as he watched the sun set. Remembering the sun setting thirty-two years before as he professed his undying love for Padmé so long as he lived and the sound of her voice as she had done so as well. That was until his thoughts were interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

"Anakin?"

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Luke sat on the sand of the lake's bank with his knees brought up and his forearms resting on them as he twirled the stem of a flower from the garden through his fingers. He looked down at his mechanical hand to its scorch mark. His father had repeatedly told him to have it fixed and even offered to fix it himself, but Luke had declined. He just simply didn't want to go through what was required to have his hand refitted with synthflesh. Beside him, Leia and Han sat in their own world, talking about this and that. Luke barely paid attention. He knew that from above, his father was watching them. He didn't understand why coming here was so difficult for his father and hoped that he would explain but understood that it would take some time. He understood that his father was trying to heal over the past and he understood that it would take some time. Luke was patient. He could wait for however long it took for his father to heal before they could be a family. He could wait for his sister to heal as well. Because he also needed time to heal and he understood that time would heal. Luke didn't need the Force to understand that his father loved them, and he didn't need it to tell him how difficult things were for his father. He knew that when the time was right, his father would explain everything that had defined their lives. Luke would not press him. He would not overstep his boundaries. Because if he did, then they would all be going backwards instead of forward, he understood that.

Luke was deep in thought when he sensed a new presence on the property. A female presence. She was close. He looked up to see that his father had stiffened completely and that there was an unreadable expression on his face. "She's here," he said aloud so that Leia and Han could hear him.

"Who?" Leia asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think Father expected whoever it is," Luke answered.

"Well I don't care about that, all this means to me is that we can finally eat, I'm starving," Han said standing.

"You sound like Chewie," Leia commented. "Always thinking with your stomach." She allowed him to help her stand from the sand.

Luke slowly stood and turned to face his father to see that he wasn't leaning on the balustrade anymore. In fact, he wasn't in sight. _  
_


	2. The Unexpected

_**A/N: **This is the first three-part installment to the Seek series that I am writing. Because they each only consist of three chapters, I have this one already written. Explanations will be explained in the story as it progresses. This is a story of how the Skywalker family learns to mend after the end off ROTJ. Here is part two.  
_

* * *

**Chapter two: The Unexpected .**

Anakin stiffened upon hearing the soft melodic voice. It had changed, he heard that change. There was deep sadness in it. He didn't turn at first and instead focused of the setting sun, believing he had heard wrong. But then he heard it again.

"Anakin look at me."

He could never refuse a request made with that voice so he turned and was met with the face of an angel, albeit older and more worn, but it was still the most beautiful face he had ever seen. No other could ever compare. He watched in stiffened silence as she came closer. He prayed that he wasn't seeing things, that this wasn't some mind trick. And then she reached out and touched his face. It felt so real that he struggled with it. His eyes were locked on her as if he blinked she would disappear. He still had yet to say anything, his voice failed him. Tentatively, he reached up to cover her hand with his. The sensors in the synthflesh on his hand told him that this was real. Her hand was flesh and bone. There was a pulse beating beneath her skin. What was more, he couldn't sense one shred of revulsion from her. And in one swift motion, he swept her up in his arms, afraid to let go, and whispered her name at last.

She pulled away slightly, cupping his face in her hands, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. He was still in a state of disbelief, she saw it in his eyes. He wanted to believe that she was really before him but his pain was blocking him. She was about to whisper assurances to him when their tender moment was broken.

"Does this mean we can eat now?"

"Han," Luke's exasperated voice said and Anakin stepped away turning to see his son tiredly rubbing his flesh hand against his face in exasperation. Leia was staring at Padmé as if she were seeing a ghost, a hint of recognition in her eyes.

Han however was oblivious as to what he had stumbled upon and how important the woman he was staring at was. He briefly looked around. "It was a fair question, we've been waiting for our hostess upon Her Worshipfulness's command. I, on the other hand, greatly disagreed with the committee," he said.

Leia scowled at him. "I am not a committee!" she snapped and it sounded like it was said before.

"I am deeply sorry for my brother-in-law's outburst," Luke said to Padmé. "He means well, he just lacks proper social manners," he said and shrugged.

Anakin seemed to recover quickly as he too bore a scowl. "He is not your brother-in-law yet," he snapped at his son. "That debate has yet to come to a close."

"It is not your choice," Leia snapped, looking at her father.

Luke sighed deeply, properly embarrassed by what many would claim as his dysfunctional family. He had absolutely no idea who he was standing in front of.

"Perhaps you would like to change before we eat," Padmé suggested, seeing their swim attire.

"That would be ideal," Leia replied, grabbing Han's arm and leading him away.

"Hey! You're going to force me to wait _longer_ to eat?" Han's voice carried as they had already entered the house.

"Again, my apologies," Luke said looking at Padmé, offering her a gracious bow before he too went inside.

Alone again, Padmé turned to Anakin. "You still have yet to speak to me," she said.

Anakin looked at her and she could see the deep hollow hurt in his eyes before he went inside too, not speaking a word.

It was Padmé's turn to sigh. She should have expected a reaction like that, but in her mind she had envisioned something entirely different.

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Luke was in the middle of changing into his usual attire when Leia barged in, closing the antique door behind her sharply. "Do you mind?" he demanded, pulling on his shirt and buttoning up the collar.

"Do you know who that woman is?" Leia demanded.

Luke sat down in a chair and pulled on his boots. "Should I?" he asked.

"She's who I've seen in my dreams, Luke," Leia told him.

Luke reached over to pull his glove onto his prosthetic hand. "You have a lot of dreams, Leia," he pointed out calmly.

"The ones that I told you about when you asked me if I remembered our mother," Leia clarified.

Luke looked up at her quickly. "Father said she was dead," he told her.

"Well obviously we were misinformed," Leia said, taking a seat on the bed and crossing her legs and arms.

Luke looked at her, sensing her turbulent emotions. Leia had always had trouble reigning that part of her in and he sensed that so did their father, but he didn't dare tell Leia that, she wasn't ready to hear it. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "How many more lies will show up to define our family?" he muttered.

"You're taking this rather calmly," Leia observed.

"Your eyes can deceive you," Luke told her for the countless time.

Leia's foot began to tap. "I cannot figure out what we're supposed to do or say in light of this new development," she said agitatedly.

Luke waved a hand in dismissal. "You'll figure something out. Just don't let your temper run through," he said.

Leia sighed deeply. "She's alive, he was alive and was Darth Vader. We were separated and lied to. What kind of family is this supposed to be?" she muttered.

"Well we can learn from their mistakes at least," Luke said optimistically.

Leia gave him an exasperated look. "That's all you can say?" she demanded.

Luke shrugged. "What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"I want you to say that you are as upset about this as I am," Leia told him aggravatingly.

"I am upset, Leia. I hate that we were lied to and I'm properly awaiting more lies to unfold. I don't expect the lies to ever end either. I'm shocked on one level and on another I'm not. Is that what you want to hear?" Luke retorted.

"What other lies could there be?" Leia asked.

Luke shrugged. "Beats me, but knowing this family, anything is possible. However I can sense that the lies won't be coming from Father," he told her.

"Why is that?" Leia demanded.

"He honest about everything. He makes absolutely no effort to hide anything he's done and I haven't been able to catch him in a lie yet," Luke answered.

"What about this?" Leia asked.

"He didn't know," Luke told her. "Couldn't you sense his feelings?" he asked, knowing that his sister could, in fact, sense that much.

Leia looked out the window that was across from her. The sun had just set over the lake and one moon was beginning to show itself over the water. "Was she here this entire time?" she asked.

"Only she can answer that," Luke told her as he stood, clipping his lightsaber to his belt.

Leia stood as well before they exited the room together, being met by Han in the hall.

"Are you two done having your secret conversation?" Han asked.

"For now," Leia answered as she accepted his arm before they found their way to the dining room to see Anakin and Padmé already seated. With Padmé trying to engage Anakin in conversation but he remained in silence, drinking from a wine goblet.

Padmé looked up at their entrance and offered them a smile as she took note of their attire and movement. Leia was dressed regally and held herself just as regally. Han was dressed in a simple shirt and vest, pants and boots with a blaster holstered at his hip. Padmé did notice the Corellian blood stripe on his pants, which was a clear sign of his honor and bravery. He held himself with confidence and cockiness but showed signs of gentleman-like behavior as he helped Leia to her seat and Padmé took note of Anakin's annoyance at his mere presence. Luke was dressed in all black and Padmé noted the black pilot's glove he wore on his right hand and she knew that it was a prosthetic without asking. She also noted the lightsaber hooked onto his belt. Luke held himself with the right amount of confidence and humility, every bit of what a Jedi should be.

As they took their seats, Nandi and Teckla began to serve them. Anakin held his goblet out and Nandi refilled it with blossom wine before he drank from it again. He had yet to say a word.

"Some place you've got," Han commented.

"Thank you," Padmé said. "It was in my family's possession for generations. When my parent's died, they willed it to me while the vineyard in the mountains was willed to my sister," she informed them.

Han threw a wry look at both Luke and Leia but Padmé caught the meaning.

Padmé calmly sipped from her own goblet. "I assume that you have an opinion on those who possess wealth," she said catching Han off guard.

At this, Anakin leaned back in his seat and looked at Han expecting him to stick his foot in his mouth and dearly hoped that he was about to hear his wife's calm dispute making Han feel like a fool. Yes, that he would enjoy.

Han leaned forward. "It has been my experience that the wealthy only care about the wealthy and money," he said, looking directly at Padmé.

Padmé took Han's remark in stride. "It is true, there are many who are like that and I too have encountered them," she began. "But I can assure you that you will not find such qualities in either myself or the rest of my family. We are leaders in human rights and relief programs," she finished.

Anakin was disappointed somewhat in her response but grew satisfied with Han's discomfort as he mumbled an apology.

Luke calmly began to eat while Leia took a sip from her own goblet, both glancing at each other through the corner's of their eyes before Luke spoke. "Can I ask why we have all been invited?" he asked calmly.

"I wanted you to come, I've seen you each on the holonet repeatedly and wished to see you in person," Padmé answered.

Leia set down her goblet and turned to face Padmé. "Why now?" she asked without preamble, in a manner that reminded Padmé every bit of Anakin.

Padmé glanced at Anakin to see that he was looking at her expectantly. "I wasn't sure how to get into contact with any of you until now," she answered.

"That's a lie."

Padmé turned to see the indignant look in Anakin's eyes at his outburst. She didn't need to be force sensitive to know that she wasn't the only one to look at him. She didn't say anything, knowing well enough that he would continue.

"You knew very well how to contact me for years and yet you let me believe you were dead. Tell me, Padmé, what exactly were your motives? Because I cannot begin to even guess," he demanded.

"You know very well what my reasons were, Anakin," Padmé told him.

"No! I don't!" Anakin snapped loudly, trying to keep himself from yelling. And without waiting to hear a word of explanation, he stood up from the table and left the room.

Upon hearing Luke sigh deeply and resigned, Padmé turned to see him set down his utensils and move to stand. Leia and Han however didn't seem to be bothered in the least. Before Luke could rise from his seat, she did and followed Anakin out of the room. She found him in his assigned room and promptly shut the door behind her. "You're going to have to talk to me," she told him.

"I don't have to do anything," Anakin told her stubbornly.

"At least hear me out, Anakin," Padmé's voice borderlined on pleading.

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Anakin told her harshly though she probably deserved it.

"Well you're going to list... let go of me!" before she could finish her sentence he gripped her upper arm and promptly guided her out the door and closed it in her face. Padmé tried opening the door again but found that it had been locked from the inside. Instead she pounded on the door. "We will have this conversation!" she shouted through it but received no answer. "Open this door, Anakin!" she commanded. Still no answer.

"He's shutting you out isn't he?"

Padmé turned to see Luke standing a few meters away. "He can try," she said, "But he will not succeed."

A ghost of a smile graced her son's face before he raked a hand through his hair. "I thought the same thing six years ago," he said. "I quickly learned that it doesn't work that way. It's best to let him stew by himself for a while before you approach him," he advised.

"He is by far the most stubborn man in existence," Padmé bristled.

"So I've noticed," Luke said. "I'm probably the only one who can tolerate being in the same room and manage not to engage in a fight with him," he informed her. "And it wasn't easy to get to the point I'm at either," he hastened to add.

Padmé eyed him closely. She could see the resigned set of his shoulders coupled with his acceptance. Her carried with him the obvious face that he was wise beyond his years. He had been through so much and his innocence had been stolen from him but he held no resentment, no ill will towards anyone. He deeply cared about the ones around him but he had a much firmer grip on his emotions than his father ever had. There was a fire that burned within him, a tamed beast that lurked within, brought up from his fight against injustice. He had faced betrayal and had weathered the storm and still he resented nothing and no one. But despite his public image, Padmé knew that he had weaknesses and she knew at least one of them as his gaze briefly traveled to the door she was standing in front of before it resettled on her. Luke possessed a strength within him that she once had and she wondered what else he had inherited. With Anakin's refusal to speak to her and where Luke had followed her, she was presented with a choice. She would let Anakin stew for the time being and instead offered her son a small smile. "You must have a lot of questions," she observed.

Luke shrugged. "I have learned to accept that many of my questions may never be answered," he told her.

Padmé nodded. She understood where he was coming from at least. "I can answer some of them for you," she offered.

Luke's only response was a sweep of his hand away from where his father was stewing. Padmé understood. His father's mood was probably upsetting to his inner calm. And he followed her down the hall and into the room where many years before Anakin had proceeded in pouring his heart out to her only to face her rejection.

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **_

Luke crouched down in front of the fireplace and kindled the fire, surprised with how cool the night had become. Well, it was cold to him. He was more used to severe heat and anything less was forever going to be a shock to his system no matter how many years he had been away from Tatooine. Was it really ten years already? He was but a boy when he had left with Obi-Wan to become a part of the bigger galaxy. He had such high ideals and absolutely no sense of reality back then. He was nothing but a naive farm boy when he had left Tatooine. Now, he was a man, hardened by harsh truths and realities. He had faced more trials than he cared to name all in the span of four years. It was sometimes difficult to open himself up simply for the fact that he had been betrayed and lied to more than once by his family. He wasn't sure where the lies began or where they would end. He didn't have enough faith to believe that the lies would ever end. The realities and lessons he had been forced to learn were things that he took with him every day. It had gotten to the point where nothing shocked or amazed him anymore and he had come to expect the unexpected and that his existence would never be easy. He took that in stride and had come to accept it. He rubbed his hands together in front of the flames before rubbing his arms before he took a seat opposite of the mother he had always believed to be dead. Despite the strength that she projected, he sensed that the years had broken her in more ways than it had built her strength,but she had enough strength to carry on and to not let it show. It was admirable. As he focused more on her, he saw the things in her that he struggled to see in his father. She was beautiful by human standards despite her age. But her kindness and gentleness exuded from her in radiant waves.

"Are you cold?" Padmé asked, looking at her son.

"Always," Luke answered simply. "I grew up on Tatooine," he offered in explanation.

"Like your father," Padmé observed.

Luke smiled faintly. "I know," he said simply.

Padmé bowed her head momentarily before meeting his eyes, eyes so much like his father's. "What do you want to know first?" she asked.

"I'm not sure if you are the one who can properly answer that question," Luke told her honestly.

"You want to know why your father turned to the dark side," Padmé observed.

Luke met her stare. "Do you know?" he asked.

Padmé nodded before she looked into the fire. "He did it for me," she said quietly. So quietly that she wasn't sure if Luke had heard her before he responded.

"I don't understand," Luke told her calmly.

Padmé turned back to him. He wasn't holding any judgment. He just wanted to understand. "I struggled over why he believed it was the only way for so many years. I still don't understand myself," she began. At Luke's nod she continued. "Your father doesn't fear much, he had a reputation for being fearless. But there is one things that terrifies him the most."

"What is that?" Luke asked.

"He fears loss. He fears losing the ones that he loves. He had always had a deep capacity to love and that was always something that amazed me the most. But he feared loss, he has deep scars over it," she told him.

"Did Palpatine feed off of this fear?" Luke asked.

"I thinks so," Padmé said. "But I can't really be sure until he speaks to me."

"Tell me," Luke implored softly.

"Your father suffers from prophetic dreams, Luke. He foresaw his mother's death in his dreams. They haunted him every time that he slept so much that he broke his mandate to protect me from assassins to go to her, but he was too late, she lived long enough to die in his arms. That night was the beginning of his decent," Padmé began.

"Aunt Beru once told me that my grandmother was kidnapped and killed by sandpeople," Luke told her. "Is that what happened?" he asked. Padmé nodded and he came to a realization. "He killed them, he's the white ghost that everyone speaks about that slaughtered an entire tribe," he realized.

"He regretted it afterwards, Luke," Padmé hastened to tell him. "He carried that guilt with him. I told him repeatedly that he shouldn't let what happened rule over his judgment for the future..."

"But he did," Luke put in, realizing where this was going. "What happened next?" he asked.

"He became convinced that his dreams would always come true. When they began again, he was desperate to prevent them from coming true. I watched helplessly as they slowly killed him. I didn't know how to help him other than to try to convince him that they wouldn't come true. He wouldn't listen," Padmé fought back her tears as she relieved those dark horrible days.

"What were they about?" Luke asked gently.

"They were about me," Padmé told him brokenly. "He dreamed that I would die in childbirth, he was so convinced that they would come true he became obsessed with finding a way to save me from what he believed was certain death and no one could convince him otherwise," she told him.

Luke stood and briefly paced the small space between them and pausing to rake a hand through his hair. "Obviously you didn't but that still doesn't explain why I was raised on Tatooine and Leia was raised as the princess of Alderaan," he said, turning to her.

"That wasn't my choice, Luke. I would have never given you away freely," Padmé insisted.

Luke didn't doubt her. He had a feeling that the decision had something to do with Obi-Wan. Wordlessly he knelt down before her and took her hands in his. "Then why?" he asked softly, looking up into her eyes, seeing the tears that threatened to break loose.

"I can't explain much of what happened. I was weak. I wasn't expected to survive your birth I was sick afterwards for a very long time. I wasn't strong enough to take proper care of your and your sister. It took me years to recover fully. Once you were taken from me for your protection it became easier for the galaxy to believe I had died. I was too weak to properly defend myself should Palpatine decide that he wanted me dead and I wasn't sure of where your father stood anymore, he was so far gone by then. I wish so hard that I could change it and if your father would just speak to me I would explain it to him but he refuses to even listen to me." Padmé couldn't hold back her tears as she explained why and accepted Luke's support when he moved to sit next to her and pulled her into his arms, offering her his shoulder to cry into.

"Give it time," Luke softly advised. "He'll listen eventually, you just have to be persistent about it."

Padmé dried her eyes. "How can you be so sure?" she asked self-consciously.

"He did the same thing he's doing to you to me six years ago," Luke answered. He then offered her a sly smile. "In the mean time you can tell me who was born first because Leia is insistent that she's older and likes to boast about it and holds it over my head any chance she gets," he said.

Padmé laughed, his effort at cheering her up working like a charm, much like his father. "She's wrong," she told him conspiratorially.

Luke grinned, pleased with the news. "Would you let her know that?" he asked.

Padmé cupped his cheek with her palm and smiled. "Only because you asked nicely," she told him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For all in his fifty-one years of life, Anakin Skywalker had never felt so hurt or betrayed as he did now. He should feel overjoyed that his angel was alive after all these years but he wasn't. She let him believe she was dead, worse, that he killed her. It was easy to hate himself for what he had done. It enabled him to shut himself up, to lock away his heart, so that he could do the things he had done. He wouldn't have been able to do everything had he known the truth. He knew for a fact the he would have been forced into a choice earlier on. He knew that Sidious would have wanted her dead for no other reason than he knew what she had meant to him and that so long as she had lived, he could not control him. Anakin would have slain the Sith disease without a second's hesitation had he made one tiny threat against her. She could have stopped him but she didn't. She turned her back on him when he needed her the most and hid their children from him for years. Yet, now she conveniently changed her mind. He refused to fall into it. She obviously didn't love him as much as he loved her. Her love came with conditions and he wanted no part of that, even if it killed him. It was too late, she had her chance. He would not give her a second chance to break his heart. He refused to subject himself to that. He may have once been a sadist and he may be a masochist, but this was one form of pain that he did not take pleasure from.

He looked at the chronometer and found that it was now well past midnight. He looked out the window to see three full moons shining over the lake. Three powerful forces with the ability to turn the planetary tides. If his memory served him correctly, his wife had long gone to bed and had by now fallen asleep. He wasn't so sure about either his children or Captain Solo. He didn't want to face anyone but he also hadn't eaten a thing for the entire day. He needed food. Deciding to risk it, he slipped out of the room and fell into the shadows in the house that was created by the night. He well remembered the path to the kitchen and honed in on it, grateful that no one was in it. He dimmed a light on and went straight to the conservator and opened it up before rifling through the left-overs, and grabbing a plate from the cupboards before making himself a heaping plate before pouring himself something drink while he heated his plate up. He found a copy of the galactic newsfeed on the counter and began to read it for the first time in what felt like ages. He didn't even noticed when he was no longer alone until he felt the cool air from the conservator accompanied by the hissing sound it made when it was opened. He looked up in time to catch his son drinking blue milk straight from its container.

"I was planning on drinking some more of that," Anakin said mildly and was somewhat amused when his son was startled, yanking the jug from his mouth fast and spilling some of the milk on his chin before he swiped it away with the back of his hand.

"Sorry, not used to sharing it," Luke lamely apologized.

Anakin made no response as his plate was done heating and he pulled it out and over to him before grabbing some cutlery from the drainer and began to eat.

Luke reached inside a glass jar and pulled out a few sweet bars, well a large handful, and began munching on them.

Anakin raised an eyebrow, well what he had of one, there were spots where hair just seemed to refuse to regrow. "That is an awful large amount of sweet bars for one sitting," he commented.

"They're as addicting as I sometimes swear spice is for some people," Luke told him, giving away the fact that he had a wicked sweet tooth.

Anakin refrained himself from shaking his head. Luke could sometimes resemble a little kid, it was mind boggling.

"Aunt Beru used to sneak them to me when Uncle Owen wasn't looking," Luke disclosed. "Uncle Owen used to say that they weren't a need and that we only had money for what we needed. But Aunt Beru would use money from the stash she kept hidden fromUncle Owen to buy them for me on occasion." He leaned against the large island situated in the room and munched on another sweet bar. "Mon Mothma's been trying to reign in the banking clan for a while. They still think they have the right to bully people like they had under imperial rule. I've had to arrest several of their leaders because they've resorted to violence to hold onto what control they have left," he said as he saw what his father was reading. "She's started asking for my opinion on how to handle corrupt criminals in a productive manner. Said something about my supposedly knowing how they think because I grew up on Tatooine."

"Don't let it get to your head, over time your opinion will start to matter less," Anakin told him unimpressed.

Luke frowned. "I've known Mon Mothma for years as well as the rest of her cabinet. And with Leia as a shoe-in for the next vote..."

"Just because you know the right people does not equal to having your opinion being truly valued," Anakin interrupted him.

"Leia said that if you swim in the circle for enough time, the more connections you make and the more they ask for your opinion, the more respect you will eventually receive," Luke told him.

"The circle goes in both ways, have you considered that?" Anakin retorted.

Luke straightened up. "That only means that I need to work hard at maintaining what respect I have," he said. "It may be a rocky start now, but I have faith that with enough work that things will eventually run smoothly and with or without your help, the Jedi Order will flourish again, I've already made progress on that," he told him confidently before leaving his father to think about it.

Anakin briefly glanced up from the news feed to watch his son walk away, having no intention to either be counterproductive or helpful in any matter that kept his son firmly planted on Coruscant.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé had always been an early riser, from the time she was Queen and through her career as Senator, she had to get up early so that she could start her day. In the years after her career in politics had ended, she had yet to break herself of that habit. Since her illness, she was forced to take certain nutrients daily to prevent it from flaring up again and she had to see a doctor periodically. Every so often, she was forced to go through dialysis procedures. It was tedious, a blow to her self esteem, and she had lost a considerable amount of weight over the years only recently starting to regain her strength and her health. So far, the only other person who knew about this beside her sister was Luke. Luke had expressed his concern periodically over the course of the night but she made him promise to not say anything to anyone. He had voiced his protests but ultimately agreed to keep her secret and offered his unyielding support. He had however, insisted on staying with her through the night, wishing to be around should she need anything. He was a sweet and gentle soul and yet he possessed the ability to destroy an enemy in his palm, much like his father in that respect, but he held her mannerisms and softer nature. In many ways, he was still a boy, but in a great deal more, he was a hardened war hero, a grown man who had learned how to survive the imperial hounds on his own without any guidance from anyone.

After taking the medicine that her doctors had prescribed her, the ones that were finally beginning to work. Padmé secured her robe around herself before leaving her the sanctity of her own room and decided to catch the rising dun over the gardens. She paused as she caught sight of Luke practicing his lightsaber forms silently and calmly. He held so much focus into each movement that he made. She could see that he carefully calculated his every move and she saw the ease in which he moved. He wore a calm expression on his face as he executed each stroke with fluid grace. She took special note of the green blade, so much unlike his father's old blue blade. She wondered if there was any significance to this or if it was just one small rebellion he had against his father. She enjoyed being able to watch him before powered down his lightsaber and turned to her, replacing the hilt back onto his belt.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, his face flushed slightly from the exertion of his work out.

Padmé smiled. "Long enough," she told him. "Where did you learn your forms?" she asked.

"Master Yoda taught me," Luke answered.

"Obi-Wan didn't teach you?" Padmé asked.

"He didn't get much of a chance before Father killed him when Chewie, Leia, Han and I were escaping the Death Star," Luke answered her.

Padmé didn't say anything, she looked down and away momentary. "I had hoped that he were still alive. I missed having a friend to talk to me as honestly and as bluntly as he had over the years," she said softly.

Luke nodded slightly. "I know what you mean sometimes," he said. He then chuckled. "He helped me out quite a few jams over the years during my childhood. It was like he was dogging me everywhere I went because he was always there the moment I found myself in trouble," he told her.

"I have no doubt that you're dead on," she said said. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Sure," Luke replied and followed her when she motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen where he helped her prepare the morning meal, talking about many things, his childhood on Tatooine, his years in the Rebellion, and what was currently happening on Coruscant. He even told her about the number of Jedi that had begun to approach him over the past six years and his plans on rebuilding the Jedi Order.

Padmé listened to his every word enjoying his enthusiasm immensely. It was contagious and she regaled him with tales she had of when she was Queen and of the last years of the Republic. She regaled him with tales she knew of the glory days of the Jedi Order, telling him everything she knew and remembered well. Luke was an avid listener and only added to her dialog when it was necessary. They had thought they would run out of things to tell each other when something else would pop up until it borderlined on ridiculous and they each burst out laughing.

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **_

Anakin pressed himself against the wall outside the kitchen listening to the open conversation between Padmé and Luke, a little envious of how at ease it was between them. He didn't intrude and he masked his presence. Through an ornate mirror on the opposite wall that was positioned in a convenient way, he could see what was going on in the kitchen from the open doorway, but they couldn't see him. Luke was very much at ease around his mother, abandoning the seriousness that he usually saw him with and instead exuded youthful playfulness. He watched and listened as Padmé and Luke teased each other before they both started to laugh together. He looked away momentarily, about to leave when the playful mood turned serious.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked concerned.

Anakin looked at the mirror to see that Luke had briefly moved to support Padmé who rubbed her temples.

"I'm fine, Luke, just a little dizzy for a moment," Padmé said calmly.

"I think that you should tell Leia what you told me," Luke reasoned calmly and concerned.

"Luke..."

"I gave you my word that I won't say anything, I won't go back on it," Luke assured her. "But Leia has every right to know as I do," he pointed out.

"I don't want anyone else to know, Luke," Padmé calmly told him but sternly.

Luke sighed. "I hate that you were here going through this alone all these years," he told her, his arms braced on the island in front of him.

"That couldn't have been helped," Padmé told him softly.

Luke turned his head to look at her. "He should have been with you," he said somewhat bitterly.

"We all made our decisions. No matter how much we may want to, we cannot go back on them," Padmé told him softly.

"It still wasn't right," Luke told her softly.

"Often times what is right never truly happens, Luke, you undertsand that," Padme reminded him softly and reached up to cup his cheek with her hand. "Bad things happen, Luke, we can't stop them and we can't change them. The only thing that we can do is to deal with them the best way that we could and try to move on," she told him softly. She then offered him a smile cupping his other cheek with her other hand, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "We have all suffered so much, yes, but we survived," she reminded him.

"But..."

"Hush," Padmé said softly. "Lets just enjoy the moments that we have and not worry about the past. I have so much to celebrate from now on I don't want to waste any time looking back on the past. Can you do that for me?" she asked softly.

"I can't promise to not revisit the past," Luke told her. "There is too much to learn from it, too much to teach future generations but I do promise to not dwell in it and I will look at the here and now and not worry about much else," he promised.

"I do not ask for anything less or more," Padmé told him softly. "What do you think of serving breakfast out in the garden? It has been so long since I could entertain out there," she asked switching gears swiftly, closing the previous topic effectively.

"If that is your wish then I have no problem with it," Luke told her honestly.

Padmé patted his cheek. "So eager to please," she chuckled. "We should find you a plus one for your next visit," she mused.

"Ah, that isn't necessary..." Luke protested.

"Why ever not?" Padmé asked.

"The last time someone tried to fix me up, I ended up in jail," Luke told her honestly. "I don't want a repeat disaster."

Padmé laughed. "We'll find you a nice girl from Naboo then," she persisted.

"Ah... do you have to?" Luke's tone held a pleading note to it before they left the kitchen through another door.

Anakin remained still in his spot until he was certain that they were gone before he entered the kitchen himself and quickly grabbed a few things for himself before he exited the kitchen, planning on avoiding everyone until he was sure that his wife had her fill of the attention.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia woke as the sun filtered through the window. A day free of senate meetings and sessions, a day free of constant typing and dealing with the now uncensored media hounds was enough to lift her moods. Lazily she reached her arms over her head and stretched like a pittten. Beside her Han stirred as he turned rolled over and wrapped his arms around her, putting her beneath him. "Morning," was all he said.

"Morning," she replied.

"No early morning senate meetings," Han said.

"Whatever shall we do?" Leia mused.

"I can think of a few things," Han said nuzzling her neck.

Leia snaked her hand through his hair. "I'm not sure, you sure are scruffy-looking," she teased.

Han pulled away and looked her in the eye. "Who's scruffy-looking? You're not so hot yourself in the morning Your Worshipfulness..." he didn't finish for Leia pulled his head down for a kiss. A kiss that said there was more where it had come from and Han quickly got the hint.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After leaving Luke to meditate in the garden, Padmé walked back into the house, walking back into her bedroom for her mid-day dosage and pulled a face at the taste of the tonic wishing that there was a way to mask the taste without diluting it. She looked out the window into the garden and smiled as she saw Luke calmly meditating in the middle of the garden. Her son was every bit amazing as she had always pictured him to be. She picked up the holo she had kept over the years, the one that Bail had made sure that she had before she lost her precious children for their own protection. She smiled as she gazed at their infant faces. Even then, they were night and day. Padmé remembered the countless days she would gaze at that holo and feel her loss keenly but she had them back and she was never going to lose them again. Now the only sadness she held while gazing at the holo was that Anakin had never seen them when they were born. Would he try to listen to him if she presented him with the holo? She could only try. After she dressed herself in a comfortable dress, she decided to leave her hair down instead of braiding. Anakin had always liked it loose.

She left the sanctity of her bedroom and approached the door that she knew her husband was behind with the holo tightly clutched in her hand. It was now or never, she knew that and raised her hand to knock but something to her that she should try the door first. It was unlocked and she opened it quietly and stepped into the room. Anakin was laying on the bed, his eyes were closed and the steady rise and fall of his chest suggested that he was sleeping. Unlike when things were good between them, he was fully dressed as he slept, when he used to sleep in just a pair of pants or nothing at all, he now kept himself fully clothed, wearing a high necked collar dark long sleeved tunic and from where his right foot peeked from under the covers, he wore dark pants as well.

Silently and carefully, she made her way past a half-finished astromech droid and around the parts intended for it that surrounding it and approached the bed, gently sitting down on the edge. Tentatively she pressed a gentle hand on his chest over where his heart was, feeling the steady rhythm of his strong beating heart. He was out like a light. Slowly she leaned down and pressed a gentle chaste kiss to his lips and in his sleeping state as it started to whither away he unconsciously responded and she felt a hand rise and tangle in her hair against the back of her head as the kiss deepened with longing. But then as if a light switch went off he was full awake and he pulled away faster than she could blink shoving her away from him as he quickly sat up and put as much distance between them as much as possible. She tried to hide the hurt in her eyes but she knew she was failing when he looked away from her.

"What do you want?" he asked and his voice held no warmth. Not like it used to when he used to speak to her.

Padmé looked down at the holo in her hands, the sting of his rejection threatening to bring tears to her eyes. "I thought that you would like to see this," she said somehow managing to keep her voice strong. She held the holo out to him like an offering and waited for him to take it.

Anakin eyed the object in her hand debating if he should take it or not before he reached for it and took it before he examined it. It was a holo of two infants. As he silently examined the holo he realized what he was looking at. It was Luke and Leia shortly after they were born. He used to dream about being able to gaze at their infant faces and when he found them already grown, he felt the loss of seeing them at that moment when they were born and knew he would never know what they looked like as they grew, when they were born. As he gazed at his children's infant faces seeing them wiggle and gaze around in wonder, and when they made small attempts to smile he felt his heart swell. But even seeing this holo wasn't enough for he was reminded of how he never held them, he never tucked them in at night, he never watched them grow, he never taught them the types of things that a father should teach his children. He had lost so much and for all this time his wife had something so precious as a holo to gaze upon every day while he had lost everything he had longed for the minute he learned he was going to be a father. Without saying a word he handed the holo back to her and stood to put more distance between himself and his wife.

Padmé watched him. "I have others if you want to see them," she offered, not moving.

She had others. How much more did she have while giving him nothing? What else had she kept from him? "No," he said. "You can keep them to yourself just as you have for the past twenty-nine years," he said bitterly.

Padmé stood and slowly approached him. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "I don't want to keep them to myself, Ani," she told him softly.

Anakin shied away from her and walked over towards the door. "Don't call me that," he said harshly before he left the room all together.

Padmé hugged herself as she watched him leave the room allowing the tears to fall from her eyes. She had prayed that he would return to her for so long. For long agonizing moments while she was forced to remain in bed during her sickest days she longed for her husbands soft loving touch, she longed for the sound of his voice to whisper that everything was going to be okay. In her dreams, she saw him return to her bedside to hold her in his strong arms through the night. In the mornings when he wasn't there she grew even more heartbroken every day as he was too busy doing Palpation's bidding. She knew it wasn't his fault, that he never knew and for days she wondered if she had just told him would things had been different. And when she knew he was finally coming back to her, she had expected a much warmer reunion, not this hurtful rejection he was giving her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia fought against her agitation and exasperation as she tried to teach Han to dance. He was the most difficult man she had ever known. Headstrong, arrogant, cocky, infuriating, devil may care, but loyal, caring, strong moralled even if he hid it, scruffy-looking but oh so sexy and talented and he loved her and she loved him despite the work it took to not fight. He was so unlike most other men who had ever tried to get her attention and he saw her. He didn't see the Princess of Alderaan, Rebel leader and Vice Chair for the New Republic. He saw her, Leia, he saw her for who she was which was so far removed from the public perception of her. He saw beneath her many layers and he loved her beyond words. And when he learned that not only were she and Luke twins, but also that their father was Darth Vader, he was repulsed, he took it in stride and accepted it, telling her about his despicable father who beat his mother and dumped him on the streets when he beat her one too many times and she died. The fact that he too suffered from his father's abuse and the abuse from the streets afterwards had brought them so much closer. He understood her in ways that no one else save her brother could and she was determined to keep him.

"I don't know why we have to do this," Han grumbled, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Because it is a tradition for wedding ceremonies for the bride and groom to dance together," Leia told him patiently.

"I still don't see why we can't elope," Han told her as the lesson continued.

"You can be such a nerhearder some times," Leia told her which only made him grin. "Everyone is expecting a big wedding for us, my colleagues, our friends, my mother..." she told him.

"I'd much rather if it were just you and me," Han told her huskily was he leaned his head in to speak against her ear.

"Sometimes we must make sacrifices in order to please others. As much as I want to elope myself, it just wouldn't be proper for someone of my station," Leia told him.

"Whatever you say your worshipfulness," Han said as he made an attempt to dip her but stumbled and managed to not only drop her but to fall himself, landing on top of her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as she had covered her face and began shaking. He pried her hands away from her face to see that she had been tried to contain her laughter.

"That had to have been the clumsiest move I had ever had to endure," Leia told him laughing.

"I told you that I'm no good at this," Han reminded her.

"You'll get better trust me," Leia told him. "I have faith in you," she said pulling him down by his shirt collar for a kiss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin stood at the balustrade of the veranda overlooking the garden in silent thought as he caught sight of his daughter and Captain Solo clumsily dancing. He could sense her emotions and his. He knew that Leia loved Solo, he had known for a long time and that Solo loved her in return and that Solo was loyal to her. Luke had told him repeatedly that Solo was a good guy, always there for them and had managed to save both his children's lives on repeated occasions. But Anakin refused to accept him. Han solo's past was putting him off even if he had no room to talk. Anakin didn't care, Leia was his daughter and in his mind, she could do so much better. As he watched, Solo botched up a move and ended up dropping Leia and falling himself. He worried that his daughter had gotten hurt until he saw that she was laughing before she pulled Solo down for a kiss. They loved each other and it was deep. Anakin wanted Leia to be happy, he wanted that more than anything, but he had just only found her, he didn't get more than two seconds of time with her. He was in no way near ready to let her go and he doubted that he ever would.

In another part of the garden, Anakin caught sight of Luke meditation. Luke was a different story. Luke was the only person to accept him, his past and his faults in all. Luke was the one who reached out to him when no one else would. Luke was breed of something all together different. In some ways, he reminded himself of who he used to be, in others he reminded him of his mother, and in still others he reminded him of Padmé. Luke had a pureness like no other and a powerful edge that he combined in one and used in his every day life. Nothing that he had done or of Sidious' attempts could take away the goodness that existed deep inside his son. Luke was the beacon that reminded him of the good things, of the good that he mostly forgot ever existed. Anakin wondered what he would have done had he never found Luke. He dreaded what would happen to him if he were to ever lose Luke.

Anakin would have liked to say that he loved his children equally, but it wouldn't really be very truthful. He loved his children powerfully, yes. But he loved them differently from one an other. He loved Luke for his constant faith, for his unwavering faith and sense of strength. He loved Leia first for she was what he was expected before the whole mess he created in a moment of weakness. He loved her strength, which was different from her brother. He loved her defiance that was so much like his own. He loved her fairness and the duality that she had between softness and hardened politician and fighter. He loved how she defied the roles she played for the public and at the same time he loved Luke's acceptance of his chosen role and dedication to it. Yet he never told either of them any of it. He was unable to. He couldn't stop the feeling that he had that he was unworthy of them. The nagging thoughts and feelings that told him that even though he was their father, he was never meant to _be_ a father kept him as far away from them as he could. And with that thought in mind, he pushed himself away from the balustrade and slipped away, willing himself to go somewhere he could be left alone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dinner that evening was one that made Anakin uncomfortable. He didn't say much as Padmé dominated the conversation. Upon learning of their daughter's coming nuptials, Padmé simply started discussing them. She was so excited that Leia was getting married and starting talking about married life of how she remembered her parent's marriage and how she had observed her sisters and her nieces Ryoo and Pooja's even if Pooja resided on Coruscant as Naboo's senator. It made Anakin uncomfortable as he didn't want to imagine his daughter as a married woman and that he remembered the three blissful years of his own marriage and what it had turned into.

"...there is nothing more fulfilling than to know that you have a constant companion who loves you..." Padmé was saying and briefly glanced at Anakin. "You may go through rough patches and you may have fights and disagreements, but no matter any of that, you know that there is love." she finished looked between her children and Han.

"All this may seem blissful and sound like a dream, but it may work for some people but I honestly don't think I'll ever get married or actually settle down," Luke said honestly.

"Never say never, Kid, look at me, I've been a confirmed bachelor for years," Han said to Luke. "Besides what about this secret girl you've been seeing?" he asked.

Leia looked at her brother to see him pause between forkfuls. "Since when are you seeing someone?" she asked.

"I'm not..." Luke denied, sooting Han a glare.

"What about the women's voice calling for you every time I com you? It's always the same voice," Han asked.

Anakin turned to his son and instantly recognized his posture and expression as one he had worn when he was close to being caught after speaking to Padmé during the Clone Wars. Whoever it was, Luke wanted to keep it to himself.

Padmé gave Luke a strange look. She tried to guess what his feelings were and why he was hiding the fact that he was involved with a woman. "Luke?" she asked.

"Look, there is nothing going on. Han is confusing something that isn't there with something he thinks is there. She's just someone that I work with from time to time that is all," Luke told everyone firmly.

"Hey, I heard the tone in her voice, Kid, I know that work was far from her mind..." Han persisted.

Luke frowned at his friend and before he could speak Leia did.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Flyboy," Leia said poking Han.

Han gave Leia the 'who me' look. "Hey! I'm just saying what I've heard," he said.

"You heard wrong," Luke told him flatly.

"So what's her name then?" Han persisted.

"Cut it out," Leia said firmly.

Padmé eyed Luke who was shooting Han some death glares. Luke obviously wanted some privacy so she decided to change the subject. "I was thinking that we could go into the village tomorrow, the market is open tomorrow and I wanted to show you around," she said and she detected the slight relief in Luke's body langue even if it was mostly hidden.

"That sounds like a good plan," Leia agreed.

"Sure," Luke agreed.

"So we're shopping, not my thing," Han said.

Padmé glanced at Anakin who frowned.

"I'm not going," Anakin said.

Padmé sighed.

"On second thought..." Han began. He didn't need to finish for everyone knew that leaving Han and Anakin alone together would be a very bad idea.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was the middle of the night and the house was asleep, or so Anakin though as he prowled through it until he heard Luke's hushed voice out on the veranda followed the the hushed and fuzzy sound of another voice. A female voice. He though he could hear a familiar note to it but due to the static in the comlink in Luke's hand and what must have been long range, the voice was undistinguished.

"It seems as your assessment was correct," the female voice said. "The Banking Clan was embezzling from both the Empire and now the Republic."

"Did you get a copy of the files?" Luke asked.

"They erased their hard drives, but I managed to recover most of it," the voice answered.

"Is it enough for the senate and the courts to take over the banks?" Luke asked.

"It's enough for the death sentence," the voice answered.

"So when is Karrde supposed to return?" Luke asked.

The voice laughed a dangerous laugh. "I don't know, you scared him rather hard," she said.

"I swear that I didn't do anything," Luke told her.

"What you did was enough, with word spreading that Vader is your father and that he's alive somewhere, people are starting to fear you," the voice told him.

Luke sighed. "I'm a Jedi, doesn't people remember what...?"

"It has been three decades, no one really remembers," the voice pointed out. "You have a lot of work cut out for you if you want to convince them otherwise, Farmboy."

"Apparently," Luke said dryly.

"When will you return?" the voice almost sounded pleading.

"I'm not sure yet," Luke answered.

"I'm dying for some release," the voice drawled.

"Patience can be rewarding," Luke said.

"Do you want to know what I'm wearing?" the voice asked breathy.

"Not here. I just had to dodge being discovered earlier. Han started causing trouble," Luke cautioned.

"You're no fun," the voice pouted.

"First thing I'm doing when I return to Coruscant is taking a long shower..." Luke said.

"Have fun," the voice said.

Anakin backed away, his mind going a mile a minute. He could swear that the voice was familiar. There was just some kind of familiarity to it. Whatever his son had gotten himself into, he was adamant that it was none of his business. Instead, he walked into the kitchen and opened the conservator and went to pull out the jug of blue milk but remembered that his son drank straight from it the night before and put it back. He shook his head and instead pulled out a different jug and poured it into a glass and drank from it, tasting for the first time in a long time his favorite drink, bribb juice. He refilled the glass and set the jug on the island counter before grabbing some more leftovers. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luke enter the room to grab another handful of sweet bars.

Anakin eyed his son. There were no outward signs that he was hiding anything but Luke was skilled in that. Instead, he focused on trying to read his son's mind only to find strong metal barriers. He watched as Luke grabbed the jug of blue milk again and was about to lift it up to his mouth before pausing, remembering where he was this time before he started to search for a glass. With a wave of his hand, Anakin opened the right cabinet to reveal the glasses from which Luke plucked one and poured the milk into it before taking large gulps from it before pouring more blue milk into it, carrying both the glass and the jug in one hand and arm over to the table in the room, setting down the handful of sweet bars on the table before the jug and the glass and took a seat, pulling out a datapad to review what was sent to him.

Anakin debated with himself if he were going to question his son about the woman he was obviously seeing. He was curious about her and why his son reveled nothing but at the same time he acknowledged Luke's right to privacy. He may not have been much of a father but he felt that he could take this opportunity to impart some advice. "So who is she?" he asked casually.

"There is no she," Luke automatically replied not looking up and chewing on a sweet bar.

"Tell that to someone who doesn't know the field of deception and secrets," Anakin told him.

Luke looked at him then. "There is nothing to talk about," he insisted.

"Word to the wise, don't try to keep a relationship a secret, it only leads to disaster," Anakin told him knowingly.

"There isn't a relationship," Luke told him firmly. "Han doesn't know what he's talking about."

Anakin couldn't detect any untruths and his eyes widened slightly for a small moment as he realized something. There may not be a relationship but there was a woman. It was a surprise because Anakin never would have suspected such a thing from Luke but then again he didn't know about the things his son did for recreation. He finished what he dragged out of the left over containers and downed his glass of bribb juice before setting the dishes away and replacing the jug back in the conservator. "To each their own," he commented before he left Luke alone.


	3. The Absolute Truth

_**A/N: **This is the first three-part installment to the Seek series that I am writing. Because they each only consist of three chapters, I have this one already written. Explanations will be explained in the story as it progresses. This is a story of how the Skywalker family learns to mend after the end off ROTJ. Here is part three the final until the next installment. Look for the next installment, Seek Solace, but beware, Seek solace will be rated M for some themes.  
_

* * *

_**Chapter Three: The Absolute Truth. **_

Padmé wrapped her shawl around herself tighter as she held a firm grip on the basket resting on her arm. She always enjoyed market day. For many years she had been confined to either the local medical facility or to her bed in her own home. Market day gave her a reason other than doctor visits to leave the house. She reached out and picked up a ripe piece of shuura and held it up to her face to inhale its sweet scent. The best way to tell when they were ripe was the sweet scent that they exuded. She picked out the five ripest pieces of shuura and paid the trader before moving off to where Leia was conversing with the middle-aged man trading hand blown glass trinkets and jewelry. "Hello Veslek," she greeted.

"Padmé," Veslek greeted warmly. "I have new designs, you get first pick as is the deal my grandfather made before leaving his business and island hut to me," he informed her and he pulled out a new tray and bestowed it to her.

Padmé fingered the most exquisite jewelry collection. She glanced at her daughter. "What do you think, Leia?" she asked.

Leia liked the design, it was simple, elegant and yet had an ornate feel to it. The glass seemed to change color through movement and if you looked at the glass closely it looked like rippling water. "It is very beautiful," she said at last.

Padmé turned back to Veslek. "I'll take it," she decided.

Veslek bowed his head and carefully laid the jewelry into a carved box and handed it over. "For you, my great lady," she said.

Padmé smiled warmly. "Thank you, Veslek," she said and handed the box to Leia. "Consider it a wedding present," she told her.

"I don't know what to say," Leia told her, taking the gift.

Padmé smiled and cupped her cheek. "You don't have to say anything, Sweetie," she told her before kissing her cheek. "Just having you here with me is enough," she told her.

Over two stands down Luke and Han were picking out some food. "Why are you keeping this girl a secret?" Han asked.

"Because there isn't anything there. You know what Mara is like," Luke told him.

Han's eyes bugged. "Mara? As in the emperor's hand Mara Jade?" he hissed incredulously. "Are you sleeping with her?"

"Han, keep it down," Luke hissed.

"Man you sure like the emperor's leftovers. First you get Vader to abandon the empire to itself and now you playing the horizontal romp with the woman Palpatine sent to kill you," Han grumbled as he picked up a few pieces of dried fruit and paid the stand operator for four bags.

Luke couldn't stop himself from smiling or chuckling from Han's choice in words. "Nicely put," he quipped. He shook his head momentarily. "Just don't say anything to anyone. I'm still not sure what the deal is myself yet or where it will go," he told him as he picked out his own bags of dried fruit and paid for them.

Together they walked away from the stand, munching on their purchases. "Well, just don't make the wrong move, she could still kill you, you know," Han told him.

"She won't," Luke told him confidently. "When she killed the clone, it ended the emperor's influence on her. Since then she's been confused, but for some reason she trusts me above all else. The sex just happened," Luke shrugged. "She'd make a good Jedi."

Han shook his head. "You are in some real trouble, Kid, you know that," he said as Leia and Padmé joined them.

"What did he do now?" Leia asked Han.

"Oh he used an unverifiable source to get incriminating evidence against the Banking Clan," Han answered much to Luke's relief.

"What kind of source?" Leia asked.

Luke looked at his sister. "Oh, just a Hand," he told her. Leia knew who Mara Jade was and how Luke knew her but she just didn't know how deep he knew her.

"Luke, I told you she can't be trusted," Leia told him.

"The evidence is iron clad, Leia. I looked at it. Look, Ben told me that even he had used criminals as informants before the Empire," Luke told her.

"Ben?" Padmé questioned somewhat recalling the name.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke and Leia answered together.

"He was one crazy old wizard," Han grumbled.

Padmé chuckled at Han's description. She had come to like her soon-to-be son-in-law and his unconventional comments. "I have no doubt that was due to having Anakin as a Padawan," she said.

"What is a Padawan?" Leia asked.

"A Jedi learner," Padmé answered as they walked through the market place. "Anakin was still a Padawan when he and I wed," she informed them. "We eloped on the villa's veranda by sunset just a few days after the Clone Wars began. Our only witnesses were our droids, See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo," she told them in remembrance.

"Goldenrod?" Han asked in disbelief.

Padmé guessed that they were familiar with the mentioned droids. "Anakin built Threepio for his mother when he was nine. When she died, Anakin gave him to me and I gave him Artoo to keep him safe during the war," she told them.

Han looked at Luke and Leia and pointed a finger. "I knew that only an evil person could have built Goldenrod!" he said in triumph.

Padmé looked at him. "How can a nine year old be evil?" she asked.

"Well look at what he turned into," Han explained.

"Fear and desperation twisted by Palpatine did that," Padmé told him flatly in defense of her husband.

"Han and Father don't have a very good history," Luke told him mother. "It grew even worse after Father froze Han in carbonate and sent him off to Jabba the Hutt," he told her.

Padmé just shook her head and sighed. She didn't say anything to that.

"How long have you known him?" Leia asked.

"About forty-two years," Padmé told her. "We met on Tatooine in a junk shop he worked in. I was fourteen and Queen and the Trade Federation set up a blockade around Naboo. When Obi-Wan and his master at the time freed my handmaidens and I from capture we freed the crew to the royal starship next and miraculously managed to get past to blockade to go to Coruscant to plead our case to the Senate. The hyperdrive was damaged in our escape and we had to land on Tatooine. We needed a new one but the dealer at the junk shop refused to take Republican credits. Anakin and his mother were the junk dealer's slaves and during a sandstorm, Anakin offered us shelter in the hovel he lived in with his mother. Ani concocted a scheme for us to get the credits for the hyperdrive by having Qui-Gon sponsor him in the up coming pod race. Anakin had secretly built Threepio for his mother and his own pod racer shortly before then. Shmi, his mother was against the plan because she didn't like Ani doing something reckless and dangerous but he managed to convince her to let him. We didn't know it at the time but Qui-Gon gambled for Anakin's freedom when he made the deal with his owner to sponsor him in the race. Anakin not only won the race and gave us his winnings but he also won his freedom. He said goodbye to his mother, even if it broke his heart and left Tatooine with us to become a Jedi because it was what he wanted to do more than anything," Padmé told them, smiling at the memory. "He claims that he had loved me since the minute he first set eyes on me," she told them, glancing at Luke and Leia. "He was willing to give up everything for me. He was going to leave the Jedi Order for me but I wouldn't let him, now as I look back on it, it might have been a wiser choice if he did and I stepped down from my post as senator and we retired here," she remembered sadly.

Luke and Leia looked at each other for a moment before Luke spoke. "I now understand why he is obsessed with killing every slaver he sees," Luke said.

Padmé sighed, she had hoped that Anakin wasn't doing something like that. Yet, she realized that it was something he would do, not something Vader would do. "What do you think about having a picnic lunch?" she asked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin knelt down in front of the unfinished droid he was working on. It was a difficult position he was in because of the amount of mobility he had lost since Mustafar. It wasn't as painful as it had been when he lived as Vader since Luke had taken him to that medical facility on Polis Massa. The prosthetics that Palpatine had him fitted with were too damaged beyond repair from the effects of the Sith Lightning. His new ones were a much better fit and the right size. With the synthflesh covering them he almost looked fully human again. But the numerous scars on his true flesh remained. He was back to his natural height, much to his relief and the healers had managed to fix his lungs so that he wasn't reliant on the suit anymore. He felt more human, which made living tolerable. No one recognized him and it enabled him to remain anonymous. It helped him deal with the turn his life had taken. But he would forever carry the guilt for the things he had done. It was a fitting punishment, to remember and to be forced to live. For the longest time he couldn't even look at his son for not letting him die but it wasn't Luke who was to blame, it was him. Luke was no more ready to let go than he had ever been at that age.

As he was piecing together a circuit bored he suddenly felt as if her weren't alone. But he didn't react.

"You must forgive yourself, Anakin."

Anakin glanced at the spectral image of Qui-Gon Jinn. "The things I've done shouldn't be forgiven," he replied.

Qui-Gon took a seat on a nearby chair. "You are wasting your potential with self-loathing," he said. "You should be helping your son rebuild the Jedi Order," he told him.

"No, I can't do that," Anakin quickly told him.

"Think about what you can teach," Qui-Gon persisted.

"I won't do it," Anakin told him.

"It would be the final step to redemption," Qui-Gon told him. "Obi-Wan has tried to tell you that but you seem intent on attacking him."

Anakin glowered at the mention of his old master. "He sent my son to kill me and stole my children from me. He left me to burn all the while claiming that he loved me," he growled.

"If you would give him a chance to explain you would learn that he was following orders," Qui-Gon told him calmly.

"He did it willingly," Anakin snapped.

"What would you have done in his position?" Qui-Gon challenged.

Anakin was silent as he thought about it. He continued to fiddle with the droid. "I wouldn't have done what he had," he said.

"You should at least talk to him, Anakin. Forgiveness is good for the soul," Qui-Gon told him disappearing from view.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé was putting together the things needed for a picnic. She had shooed Teckla and Nandi away insisting that she wanted to do things herself. She had the old picnic basket out on the island counter along with the flatware and dishes it came with while she pit together sandwiches and fruits and fried vegetables. Upon returning to the house, Padmé had rifled through her closet and found some of her old gowns and dresses from when she was young. She hadn't worn them in years and she had forgotten she had them so she couldn't resist trying them on to see if they still fit, which they did. She had chosen to wear the dress she had worn thirty-two years prior when she and Anakin went on their first picnic together. She hoped that it would bring back memories for him.

As she carefully began packing things away into the picnic basket, Padmé became aware that Anakin had walked in and stopped just shy after entering. She looked up at him and smiled. "We decided to have a picnic lunch up in the meadow, will you be joining us?" she asked.

"No."

"Why not?" Padmé asked unable to hide her disappointment.

"Because I don't want to," Anakin told her shortly.

Padmé calmly rounded the island and approached him. She took in the set of his shoulders and his tense stance. The black simple tunic was high-necked and the loose sleeves reached about midway over his hands, the black trousers tucked into tall, black leather boots looked comfortable. The outfit was simple and comfortable, loose enough for movement, yet defined the powerful shape of his body at the same time but to her eyes it seemed incomplete without a lightsaber to hang from his belt. She gently ran her fingers over the fabric of his tunic over his chest before pressing her palm flat against his chest feeling the strong powerful beating of his heart and looked him the eye. His eyes were always the best indicators for his moods and she had always been able to tell what he was feeling as she looked into them. She recognized that the galaxy saw a scarred, dangerous man that they should avoid if they valued their lives but she saw past the exterior. She saw her Ani, the man she fell in loved with, the man she loved beyond measure no matter what atrocity he had committed. She knew that he still loved her as deeply as he ever had but he was in pain, he was lost. "Anakin..." she began. "Do you remember all those years ago out in the meadow when we would spend hours just the two of us? We used to lay in the grass together and tell each other everything, our hopes, dreams, worries, fears and you told me that you would love me until the day you died?" she asked softly.

Anakin watched her, unmoving. The sight of her in the flowing yellow sundress she had worn so many years ago when they were falling in love bringing all of his memories of her to the forefront. He knew that she was wearing it again for a purpose. He noted many differences in her. It fit differently. She had grown thiner and her skin was paler than he remembered her. "I remember," he told her.

"You've never held back in telling me what you were feeling, Ani, why are you doing it now?" Padmé asked.

Anakin tried to ignore their close proximity or the way her hand moved away from where it rested over his heart and started to trace circles along his chest or the soft tender sound of her voice and the sultry look in her eyes as she looked at him. "Shouldn't you finish getting your picnic ready?" he reminded her.

"I want you to join us," Padmé told him.

"No."

Padmé stepped closer to him invading his personal space a bit too much. Anakin stiffened further, his breath hitched and his heart quickened. She was wearing the perfume that had always drove him wild. "Ani..." she breathed.

Anakin didn't let her make her argument as he pulled her closer, clamping his mouth down to hers in wild abandon. She knew exactly what to do to make herself irresistible to him and it apparently hadn't changed in their twenty-nine year separation. And when her back collided against the conservator she snaked her arms around his neck a hand flat against the back of his head with the feel of his hands moving against her upper body. She nipped at his bottom lip, remembering how much he liked it when she did so and as a low growl came from his throat she hooked a leg over his hip. She didn't complain when she was lifted off her feet and deposited on top of the island and his hand ran up her right leg, pushing the skirt of her dress upwards, he had always had a fascination with her legs, especially when they were wrapped around his waist. But when her hands fisted the fabric of his tunic before flying to the buttons holding it closed about to undo them it was like a switch had gone off and he was pulling away from her faster than she could blink.

"No," he breathed, breaking away and taking a step back.

Padmé reached out to him, "Anakin," her voice had a small pleading note to it.

"I refuse to give into this game that you're playing," Anakin told her coolly, stepping further out of her reach.

"I'm not playing any games with you, Anakin," Padmé insisted sitting up from the position that he had left her in.

"You pulled that dress out from the back of your closet and used that perfume like you expect for things to be just the way they were twenty-nine years ago but a little trip down memory lane won't erase the past," Anakin told her harshly before he left the room.

Padmé watched him go unable to do anything but to straighten herself up and slid off the island to stand on her feet, unaware of the eyes that had witnessed the whole thing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The meadow would always hold a special place in Padmé's heart. Years prior she and Anakin spent hours up here either feeding each other, laying in the grass holding each other, making love, and then there was the fact that each time Anakin would try to tame and ride the shaaks but hadn't ever succeeded. She wished that he had joined them instead of holding himself off away from everyone doing the stars know what. Instead, she settled for watching as her children teased each other before joining forces against Han. They were so carefree at this moment that it warmed her heart, especially seeing how close they each were to each other. It made sense, they depended on each other as backup during their years in the Alliance against the Empire, against Anakin. And there was the irony. For where Anakin had a hand in the formation of the Empire and the destruction of the Jedi Order, for his ruthless enforcement against those who opposed imperial rule, his only children defied it all, fighting against him, becoming instrumental in the destruction of the Empire and the rebirth of not only the Republic but also the Jedi Order. Did Anakin ever think of this? Did he ever consider the roles they all played? Did he ever think about everything their children had accomplished? Did he ever feel proud of them? Anakin loved his children, Padmé knew that without a shadow of a doubt, but how did he feel about the paths that they had chosen?

When Han stole the last bites of Leia's sandwich, Padmé snapped her attention to what was going on before her.

Leia's attention had wandered briefly to her brother, and she looked back t to see Han wolf down the rest of her sandwich. "Hungry much?" she asked arching an eyebrow.

"It's real food," Han pointed out which earned him a shove from his bride-to-be. "Hey don't get mad at me because you can't cook!" he retorted.

"I don't know, Chewie seems to like her cooking," Luke said with a serious face before the corners of his mouth twitched slightly before he repressed it upon his sister's glare.

"Chewie will eat anything if it's dead," Han pointed out.

"Remember when he got us caught in that trap because he smelled the bait?" Luke asked chuckling.

"Don't remind me," Han grumbled causing Luke to chuckle.

"What happened?" Padmé asked interested.

"We were searching for Leia when we got separated on Endor six years ago," Luke explained. "We were going to surprise some stormtroopers before Han stepped on a twig and alerted them. Two raced off to alert the others on swoopbikes while we fought off the other's. Leia decided that it would be a good idea to tear off after them on a left behind swoopbike even though she's never been on one before so I chased after her to make sure she raced on her safely," Luke began to explain. "After dispatching the stormtroopers we got separated," he finished.

"I had been knocked down when I was approached by an Ewok. He was a small, furry, defensive, jittery thing and only warmed up to me when I gave him something to eat. He helped me evade more stormtroopers before leading me to his village," Leia interjected. "And that was not my first time on a swoopbike," she said pointedly to Luke.

"We trailed Leia to where she crashed when Chewie got hold of the scent of food. We thought he had found Leia only we fell into a trap, strung up together in a net before we were ambushed by those Ewoks and strung up to poles by our wrists and ankles while Goldenrod was carried on a throne to the village to be the feast," Han told her.

"They thought Threepio was a god," Luke told her. "When it became apparent that we were intended to be the feast in his honor I told him to threaten them with his divine powers to get us out of the mess but Threepio protested until I commanded him to do it and used the Force to prove the point freeing us while Leia had come out of one of the huts to try to plead our case," he added.

"After which we became part of their tribe," Leia told her. "During the celebrating I saw Luke slip out and followed him," Leia told her.

"That's when I told her what Ben told me which was finally the truth that Leia and I were twins. Then I reveled to her who our father was before I left to turn myself into the Empire." At Padmé's worried look he explained. "I did it for three reasons, one the minute I sensed Father was on the moon I knew it was a trap and I went to try to distract the empire away from our mission. For another I went to talk some sense in Father but I also sensed that in doing so that I could get close enough to the Emperor to destroy him. The Emperor wanted me to kill Father and take his place, he almost succeeded until I defiantly threw my lightsaber away and proudly told him that he failed and that I was a Jedi. He didn't like that too much and tried to kill me before Father killed him instead," Luke told her.

If Padmé was disturbed by her children's penchant for recklessly endangering their lives, she didn't show it. "Why was it reported that you killed Palpatine?" she asked.

"It was what everyone believed, I just didn't correct them," Luke answered. "Besides it made surviving Jedi more confidant to approach me despite the leak revealing that Darth Vader was my father," he shrugged as he held the rest of his food out of Han's reach.

Leia poked Han in the ribs. "Haven't you had enough?" she asked.

Padmé laughed when Han gave Leia a wounded look. "Men need more food than we would consider to be enough in order to be full," she said looking at Leia. "I can't tell you how many times I used to catch Ani stuffing his face in the middle of the night," she said.

"Ani?" Han laughed. "Where does that come from?" he asked.

"I wouldn't try to poke fun, it's what his mother used to call him and anything about his mother is a sensitive subject," Padmé warned. "I'm the only one besides her that he has ever allowed to use that name."

"It's hard to picture Vader having a mother," Han commented. "Where is she then?" he asked.

"She died thirty-two years ago," Padmé answered. "Anakin was with her, she died in his arms while he was rescuing her. She had been kidnapped, beaten and starved for over a month. Afterwards he killed her killers," she told them. "For the longest time he struggled to deal with both what happened to her and what he had done that night on Tatooine," she said softly. "I knew that he had done something horrible just by how he refused to meet my eyes and glared at his step-family when he returned to the Lars farm with her body the next morning. He refused to let them handle anything and dug her grave himself before he buried her and carved her grave marker himself, purposely leaving the name Lars off of it. I think that he blamed them for what had happened, for not contacting the Jedi Temple for help when their rescue mission failed. Thirty men went after her, only three returned and they had always known that Anakin was Shmi's son and that he was a Jedi," she remembered.

"I remember Uncle Owen removing that marker when I was five and tossing it away after I started to ask questions. He never liked it when I would ask about my father and used to yell at me every time I went joy riding through Begger's Canyon, telling me that I was going to end up like my father. He even hated Ben and purposely kept me away from him," Luke told her softly. "I still have the marker, it was the only thing that wasn't destroyed when storm troopers stormed the farm looking for Artoo and Threepio who held the plans for the Death Star. I was with Ben and the droids at the time and when I pieced together that the Empire would track the droids to us after we found the slaughtered jawas that sold them to us, I returned to the farm to see it destroyed and Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen's bodies burning and still bound. The marker had been tossed onto the ground outside the homestead instead of being where I had stashed it in the garage," he told her. "I had nothing and no one left so I took Ben's offer to become a Jedi and to deliver the droids to Alderaan."

"Only to find asteroids in place of a planet when we arrived," Han put in. "And then we were pulled into the Death Star's tractor beam and while the Jedi disabled the tractor beam, Luke found out where Leia was being held and insisted that we go rescue her. We almost didn't escape if the old man and Vader hadn't been fighting at the time."

"Ben scarified his life to help us not only escape but to keep our identities hidden for however long it was until the empire discovered that I was the one who blew the Death Star up," Luke told her. "Ben told me before he died that Vader had betrayed and murdered my father, imagine my horror when I learned the truth," he added as he flexed his mechanical hand unconsciously.

Padmé read in between the lines and chose not to say anything. "It's in the past now, we can only move on from here," she said instead.

Luke looked at her, "You should tell that to Father," he told her seriously.

Padmé vowed that she would.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke lounged lazily in a lawn chair in the garden just below the veranda while Leia and Han cuddled up together in a near-by hammock. From his slumped position, Luke caught the ball Han threw at him with the Force and held it over his head, using small hand movements to manipulate the ball into doing odd little twirls and loops before sending back to Han who caught it and sent it back the game continuing.

"So is anyone going to say anything about what we almost walked in on in the kitchen earlier?" Han asked.

"I'd rather not," came Luke's reply.

Leia looked up into Han's face. "You're intrigued..." she accused.

Han looked between brother and sister. "I'm just in a state of shock over this whole visit you know. I mean who would have guessed that Vader had a wife that wanted him?" he said. "We're all aware of how much of a nice guy he was during the empire," he added sarcastically.

"It wasn't that much of a stretch, Han. He's our father," Luke pointed out, his concentration on the ball doing fast twists and loops above him not wavering in the least.

"Yeah, well, there are other ways that could have happened," Han pointed out shortly.

Leia's arms around Han's torso tightened. "We know about what your father did," she told him.

"Yeah, being the product of rape isn't pleasant, especially when you've witnessed him beat your mother to death," Han grumbled.

"Our father wasn't always Darth Vader, Han," Luke reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember the Jedi heroics of the Clone Wars," Han replied.

Luke quirked an eyebrow at his friend.

"I was ten when they ended, of course I remember," Han retorted to Luke's unspoken question.

"I didn't say anything," Luke calmly replied and sent the ball back to Han.

Han passed the ball from one hand to another as he thought of something and grinned wryly. "Can you imagine what people will say when they hear that Vader was a married man?" he asked and tossed the ball back to Luke who caught it and groaned.

"The Rogues would have a field day with jokes and innuendos," Luke said.

"Well, Kid, you have command over them. Just order them not to say anything," Han told him.

"They only take commands from me during a dog fight," Luke reminded him.

"They would respect you more as a commanding officer if you didn't drink and gamble with them," Leia pointed out.

Luke shrugged. "I'm entitled to a little fun. Reminds me of the old days back home," he replied sending the ball back to Han.

"I do know one joke that will filter through their minds," Han started. "Just picture Vader returning home at the end of the day after tracking Jedi and killing off officers he deems incompetent because they don't meet his impossible standards. Think of his wife asking him how his day went. It might go something like this: 'I had to replace some men after the fools lost the Death Star plans and those pesky Rebels evaded me yet again. Oh and our children decided to declare open rebellion against me and ran off to join that rebellion!'" he chuckled at his own joke to with Luke and Leia found the humor and irony in it infectious and cracked a smile before they too laughed.

"That kind of joke is the least of my worries," Luke said at last.

"You boys can discuss that topic later, I'd rather not hear it," Leia told them.

Luke looked over at Han and gave him a sly smile. "You know, I saw a couple swoop bikes in the garage..." he started.

Han instantly perked up. "You don't say?" he replied.

"Want to give it a go?" Luke asked.

"What was the score again?" Han asked mildly.

"It's still a tie," Leia answered.

Luke sat up. "I say we make this interesting then," he said looking at Han.

"Interesting how?" Han asked, to which Luke only grinning a roguish grin in reply. Han's habits rubbing off on him.

"I'm in!" Han told him, disentangling himself from Leia so that he could get a head start to the garage.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin watched the area near the garage as his children and Solo engaged themselves in the start of a swoopbike race. Leia being between both men holding a ribbon between her fingers before she dropped it and both Luke and Han tore off into the distance with Leia hot on their heals. He had overheard their prior conversation before they had torn off for the garage. He didn't like being the subject of jokes. They were nothing but blatant disrespect. The fact that it was his own children laughing at his expense was too much.

He walked back into the house deep in thought. As he was about to pass through the solarium he stopped, seeing Padmé calmly sitting in one of the wicker chairs calmly sipping her favorite tea. Their last encounter alone in the kitchen played itself in his mind. That she had responded so wantonly to him as he was astounded him on a deep level. It had taken all of his self-control to pull away and he had succeeded in avoiding her all day until now. She had changed from the yellow sundress and into a simple jewel-tone purple house gown and wore an emerald green shawl draped around her shoulders and her hair hung loosely behind her shoulders. But it wasn't the clothes she was wearing or how her hair seemed to be thinner than he remembered that he noticed, it was the pendant that she wore around her neck, the very one he had given her when he was a boy.

Padmé set her cup down and looked up at him. "Why won't you talk to me, Anakin?" she asked, unable to hide the wounded note in her voice.

"I would have thought that was obvious," Anakin replied.

"It's not," Padmé told him standing to face him.

"What do you want me to say?" Anakin demanded walking further into the room. "That all is forgiven? Am I to be overjoyed that my belief that you had died was a lie?" he demanded.

"If you would let me explain..."

Anakin interrupted her. "I don't want to hear it," he told her. "I don't want to hear whatever excuse you have for what you did." He was now close enough to touch her now if he reached out but he didn't. His eyes flicked down to the pendant around her neck. "Why are you wearing that?" he demanded.

Padmé fingered the pendant, confused as to why he was upset. "I've always worn it, you know that," she told him.

"You're trying to placate me by wearing it, I'm insulted by the implication," Anakin told her coolly.

"Why are you acting this way? What is it that you think that I have done that is so horrible?" Padmé asked at a loss as to what was wrong with him.

"Why?" Anakin retorted scathingly. "You know exactly what you've done," he told her.

"I cannot understand your reasoning unless you tell me," Padmé told him.

"What do you want from me?" Anakin demanded angrily. "It's been twenty-nine years, why did you want me here now?" he yelled.

"I've always wanted you here, Anakin, I wasn't able to reach out until now," Padmé told him.

"That's a lie!" Anakin snapped and turned away from her, turning the table over angrily as it was in his way as he stalked past. He ignored Padmé scared wince. "You turned your back on me, you left! You let me believe you were dead like the rest of the galaxy rather than tell me differently! He turned to face her. "For twenty-nine years I believed that I..."

When it became apparent that he wasn't going to continue, she spoke. "You believed what, Anakin?" Padmé asked.

He was about to say what was really wrong, but then the need to protect himself took over. He would be opening himself up if he did say it and opening himself up would mean facing rejection and pain. He wouldn't take that chance. "You didn't want me here," he spat. "You took what opportunity you had to escape, to leave me just as you wanted because you know that you made a mistake," he began advancing on her. "You felt sorry for me when my mother died and your bleeding heart wanted to do something and then I asked you to marry me. You felt trapped, my mother just died and I lost my arm, so you did it because you felt sorry for me. But you regretted it, you hid your regret well but every time I had to leave for the front lines you were relieved. You took your first opportunity to leave and made me believe you were dead so that you could escape. Because someone of your station doesn't go slumming, someone like you doesn't get involved with a slave!" He was really close now and gesturing with his hands. "You only included me here on you invitation because you figured that either Luke or Leia would tell me you were alive. You never intended for me to find out but you had no choice this time. What is more is that you're hiding something from me, you're closely guarding a secret and I can sense it and I just want to know where you sent him off to. What is your true lover's name?" he didn't truly believe what he was saying, the words just slipped out and he couldn't stop once he had started. But when she slapped him, he stopped and stepped back.

Padmé watched him and had heard everything he had said. His words were ugly and hurtful and he meant to hurt her. He wouldn't have said them if he didn't want to hurt her. But even then, as she noted the regret in his eyes, this wasn't the same man she was in love with. He wasn't Darth Vader either but this man before her had no resemblance to Anakin Skywalker whatsoever. Breathing hard as she willed herself away from letting the tears show, she wouldn't show him that weakness as she had on Mustafar where he... She looked him hard in the eyes and spoke. "You are not the man I married," she told him, keeping her voice firm before she walked out of the room with every ounce of dignity that she possessed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke found his father angrily pacing in the solarium. With an exasperated look on his face, he retrained himself from sighing. "Do you enjoy attacking people who are just trying to help you?" he asked, maintaining his calm. It was a skill he had honed to perfection when it came to dealing with his father.

"Will you just shut up and leave me alone?" Anakin snapped irritatedly.

"I can't do that," Luke told him. "Not when you're acting like an insufferable boar and treating people like crap...." Before he could continue Anakin interrupted him.

"I am not a laughing stock..." Anakin snapped.

Luke blinked. "Where is this coming from?" he demanded.

"I heard you little conversation, I did not find it funny," Anakin told him turning to him.

"We weren't making fun of you," Luke told him.

"It's what it sounded like," Anakin told him.

"Well you heard wrong," Luke told him.

"I don't think so. It was disrespectful and I will not tolerate it, I'm you're father not..."

Luke interrupted him. "Then start acting like it!" he snapped. "You keep holding yourself up on backwater planets as far away from us and everyone else as possible. While you continue to wallow in your own little world, it's me and Leia who are out in the public trying to actually do something useful. But it's getting difficult because two years ago it was leaked that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are the same and at the same time it was me and Leia who were outed. We can't even do our jobs properly without your reputation overshadowing ours. Traitor and coward have become synonymous with your name and it's what every being thinks when they hear ours! You continue to keep yourself in exile while it's us who are left to clean up your mess. It's us who have to deal with the gossip hounds who refuse to look at us without seeing you!" Luke snapped at him.

"You try living with what I do every day!" Anakin snapped.

"Yes, it is so hard for you isn't it," Luke retorted. He raked a hand through his hand and took a deep breath. "I keep wondering when you are going to stop thinking about how difficult everything is for you and start thinking about how difficult things are for everyone one around you. But you know what? I give up, I'm through. Do what you want, I don't care anyone," he told him gesturing with his hands before turning to leave.

"You don't have to live with the constant fear of what you know you are capable of," Anakin snapped.

Luke turned to face him. "That's what you think," Luke told him walking closer to him to stare him down. "The only thing that keeps me in line is the fear that I'll turn into you," he told him.

Anakin stared at him, feeling like he had been gutted. However, before he could respond Leia's terrified scream carried through the house.

"Luke!"

Without a seconds thought, Luke turned and raced through the house to where he knew Leia was to see her leaning over to where Padmé had fallen to the floor unconscious. He didn't care at the moment if his father had followed him. He didn't pay attention, he just acted. He pressed a hand to his mother's forehead before he picked her up. "We need to take her to the closest medical facility," he said, taking charge. He carried her out past his father who bore a look of fear on his face with Leia close to his side.

"We were talking about the state of the Republic when she just passed out. I tried to get her to open her eyes but..." Leia started to explain.

"I know, Leia," Luke told his sister. "She told me about this," he explained as the found the caretaker who seemed to realize what was wrong rather quickly and ushered them to the gondola.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin paced, he sat, got up and paced. He had insisted on accompanying his children in bringing their mother to the medical facility. He may have been angry and hurt where his wife was concerned, but that didn't mean that he wasn't scared and worried now. No matter the past, he had always loved her. He had loved her the minute he saw her in Watto's junk shop and that love only intensified as he grew. He loved her intensely as a man and he had never stopped, even as a Sith, he still loved her. When he thought she was dead, he was dead inside. When he saw her alive, he believed that he had died and she was there to greet him on the other side of the Force. And when he realized that her death was a lie, her lie, it broke his heart more than believing that she was dead had done.

Anakin put the lie on the back burner for a moment as he turned to look at his wife on the biobed in the medical room. She had yet to open her eyes and it was now midnight. She was sick, dying. Karathan Mills disease was incurable. Normally a person's body could fight off the virus, but occasionally it infected the lymph system, and slowly killed a person. She had had this disease for years now. Anakin didn't know how long, the doctors wouldn't answer him. They didn't believe that he was her husband. Apparently, she had told them that he was dead. Anakin wanted to Force Choke the fools but he knew that that would be counterproductive. Luke had greatly disapproved of that habit but it was something that he could not break. All he had to do was try to resist it on occasion and it was extremely difficult unless he was stopped.

Anakin was about to leave the room, unable to see his wife in this state for too long when his name was spoken.

"Anakin," her voice sounded weak, pleading. She needed him.

Anakin turned to face her. She was pushing herself up in the bed but he didn't move. "How long?" he asked hollowly.

Padmé knew what he was asking. She was sure by now that he knew. Especially when they were in a medical room. "I was diagnosed thirty years ago," she told him honestly.

"That's a year before Luke and Leia were born," Anakin couldn't believe that it had been that long, that she knew a full year and still didn't tell him. "You told me you weren't going to die when my dreams started," the anger bubbled to the surface once again. She had lied for years. "You were dying anyway and refused to tell me especially when it was closing in on you," he snapped.

"You were fighting a war, I didn't want you distracted by worrying about me and end up killing yourself anyway," Padmé told him.

"You should have told me," Anakin tried to keep his voice from shouting, conscious of the other patients and the staff for the facility down the hall. He wasn't so much concerned for Luke and Leia hearing him, they had left hours ago.

"What would you have done, Anakin? Would have you done anything different than what you did when your dreams started?" Padmé challenged. "I refused to let this illness run my life. It was bad enough that my sister nagged me constantly to retire and stay at home, I just wanted to live like any other day like I wasn't ill. I knew that you would look at me differently or start acting differently around me had you known. I just wanted to forget for any moment and live like I was used to living," she told him.

"I'm your husband, I had a right to know first and foremost!" Anakin snapped.

"But would you understand?" Padmé persisted. "Would you have let me live and would you have let me go when it was time?" Anakin didn't answer her so she pressed on. "I was given a set date for me to have lived. They gave me two years and after I gave birth it was worse, they gave me a month. I survived. I stayed alive to defy them. Every day I prayed for you to return to me and the minute that you did, you hated me. I didn't want you thinking that I was dead, I knew what your mother's death did to you, but everyone else thought differently. I was too weak to fight their decision and when I was able to have some strength to recover it was too late. It killed me knowing that you thought I was dead," she told him.

"I don't hate you," Anakin corrected her. "Hearing that you were dead, seeing your fake funeral, it killed me, finding out that it was a lie and that you're dying anyway, I can't handle it. I've lived through loosing you once, I'm not going to stick around to watch it happen for real," he told her and turned from her before she could make a reply and left the room.

Padmé watched him go, too weak for the moment to get out of the bed to go after him. Instead, she put her face in her hands and began to sob.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke had returned to the medical facility that his mother was in with Leia. Neither twin could sleep much and instead decided to see if there was anything that they could do for their mother early in the morning. The sun was rising as they entered the facility. When they walked into their mother's room she was still sobbing but stopped once she saw them. "Is he still at the house?" she asked, hope in her voice.

"I knocked on his door and asked if he wanted to come with us, I heard some shoving around before he said that he would be by later," Luke answered knowing who she was asking about.

"We argued hours ago. He told me that he wasn't sticking around any longer," Padmé explained as she wiped her eyes.

Leia's eyes flashed as she digested the news. Here her mother was sick and he was leaving, yet he claimed to love her. "He can't leave until we do, we came together," she pointed out, trying to give her mother some hope.

Luke however cursed. "He has enough money to buy his own ship," he said turning to leave, hoping that he could intercede. It took about an hour for him to return to the house and ran to the room his father was sleeping in to find the door was open and that it was in shambles. Everything his father brought with him was gone. He cursed again and turned and ran through the house to where the gondola waited.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Han asked as he was nearly run down.

"I have to stop my father from leaving the planet!" Luke explained.

"Hey good riddance to him if he does leave!" Han called after him.

Luke ignored the comment as he jumped into the gondola and used the Force to amplify the speed. As he reached the shore, he honed into his father's force presence, relieved that he hadn't left the planet yet. He raced to where he sensed his father, jumping on a parked swoopbike and quickly murmured an apology and a location for it's retrieval to it's owner and sped off to the shipyard his father was at. He pulled to a stop at the shipyard and quickly jumped off the swoopkike, running through the many ships that were parked in the yard. Each one differing in sleekness, speed, size, and price. He came to a halt when he found his father inspected a smaller deep space shuttle that could easily be manned by one person, yet hold a few other people. There was a dealer standing near by discussing the qualities of the ship in question. Luke purposely approached them. "What are you doing?" he demanded, going straight over to his father.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Anakin retorted and turned to the dealer. "Seventeen thousand credits is too high," he said.

"For a ship of this quality it is a very fair price," the dealer replied. "You won't find a better price somewhere else."

"This is a single engine ship, single engines are worth eight thousand," Anakin told him, clearly the most knowledgeable customer the dealer had ever had to deal with.

"I can assure you, sir..."

Anakin made a slight hand gesture. "You will only charge me eight thousand," he said, putting the Force behind his words.

"I will only charge you eight thousand," the dealer repeated, having a befuddled look on his face.

Before a transaction could be made, Luke stepped in with his own mind trick. "You will sell him nothing and move on," he put the Force behind his own words.

Anakin frowned at his son as the dealer repeated Luke's order and before the dealer could walk away he tried the mind trick again. "You will only charge me eight thousand for this ship," he put a more powerful amount of Force behind his words this time.

Luke frowned and was about to pull out another mind trick when no sooner had the dealer repeated his father's mind trick his father grabbed the pad for the transaction and changed the price before swiping his credit disc, finalizing the deal. "You are not leaving," he said firmly.

"I thought you didn't care about what I did from now on," Anakin said, picking up the haversack by his feet.

"I'm not here for you!" Luke snapped. "I'm here for my mother! I will not let you leave her like this!" Luke snapped, pointing a finger in his father's face.

Anakin glared at him. "If you do not remove your finger from my face then I will break it," he threatened.

Luke didn't doubt that he would. Before him was the man who willing cut off his only son's hand and not two seconds later offered him the galaxy all the while scarring his son's emotions from the sheer trauma of that conversation. He lowered his hand and glared. "If you love her at all then you won't leave her," he persisted.

"I refuse to watch her die," Anakin told him stubbornly as he gathered the unfinished droid before walking over to the ship's ramp.

"She's not dying," Luke countered.

"Karathan mills disease is incurable," Anakin told him pointedly.

"They found a cure a year ago," Luke corrected him. "If you had paid attention to the holonet you would know that, it was all over the holonet when the cure was announced."

"She lied to me, how can I trust someone who can't even tell the truth?" Anakin retorted as he turned and continued to board the ship.

"She wants you with her! Are you going to deny her of that?" Luke demanded.

"She should have thought of it years ago," Anakin told him as began to ascend the ship's ramp.

"If you leave her now, you'll regret it," Luke called after him and grew frustrating when his father didn't answer him. "The man she describes when she talks about you seems be a figment of her imagination then because no one can picture what she sees in you because you're so much of an uncaring bastard that you don't even think about how your actions will affect those around you!" he snapped before he turned and walked away. He didn't stay to watch the ship take off or to see the expression on his father's face after he had said what he said.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Luke returned to the medical facility, he walked into his mother's room with a heavy heart. He had felt the moment when his father had left orbit and he dreaded telling his mother that he had left. He had no intention, however, of going after him. His father would have to learn how to deal with his actions by himself from now on.

Padmé smiled as he entered her room. The doctor was in the room as well. "Luke, I have some very good news!" she said brightly.

Luke smiled at seeing the glowing look on his mother's face and took a seat beside her. "What is it?" he asked.

The doctor turned to him. "Your mother is a strong woman, she defied fate indeed and will be living a very healthy life from now on," he informed him. "However I do not advise space travel for about six months, until the medicine has completed it's job."

"That is wonderful news, thank you," Luke replied.

The doctor nodded. "If you have any questions, I will be reachable," he said leaving the room.

"You should tell your father," Padmé said. "Is he coming?" she asked.

Leia looked over at Luke, sensing what he was about to say.

Luke took his mother's hand. "He purchased a ship not too long ago and left orbit five minutes ago," he informed her. "I tried to stop him, but trying to get him to see reason is like trying to pull a Wookiee's teeth," he put in.

Padmé nodded. "He has to do whatever he has to if he is to handle the past," she said, not showing her children how disappointed and broken hearted she was.

Leia looked at Luke. "I just received a comm from Mon Mothma. She wants you to verify your source personally," she informed him.

"Which means we'll have to leave as soon as possible. The Banking Clan has some slippery tricks that they can use if we allowed too much time for this suit to process," Luke deducted.

"Don't worry about me," Padmé told them. "I know how important that is."

"But you're more important," Leia insisted sincerely.

"I appreciate that," Padmé told her, taking her hand. "But I was once this planet's leader and senator, and I know the issues with the Banking Clan very well, they've gotten away with their dealings for far too long. I want you to take care of your job," she told them. "I expect nothing less, because with your occupations, you must put your family on the back burner sometimes so that the good of the people can be properly handled," she put in.

"Lets get you settled back home first," Luke decided all the while awed by his mother's courageous spirit and inspiring care for not just herself and her family but for all the citizens of the galaxy. The galaxy needed more people like her and it would be a mistake of the force for her to be lost.

"Of course," Padmé agreed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé stood in the hanger that the _Millennium Falcon_ was berthed, saying goodbye to her children. They each promised to comm everyday to see how she was. Behind her at the hanger's entrance stood her escort, Kenny Accu. As she held onto her children tightly, lavishing in the feeling of having them in her arms after being denied it for so many years, she whispered to each how much she loved them and couldn't stop herself from adding in that their father loved them too for she had the impression that Anakin had yet to say so himself. As they broke away, Padmé reached for Han as well, catching him off guard.

"I await the moment that you are an official member of the family, Han. My daughter choose well," she said and as she let go she couldn't stop herself from adding, "I see so many qualities that you have in common with Anakin, I see you two becoming good friends once you settle things."

Han's smile faded upon hearing the last remark. Luke held a hand up to his mouth but Padmé caught his amused smile. Leia seemed to be too floored to even utter a reply.

Padmé kissed each of their cheeks. "Stay safe," she murmured.

"We always manage it somehow," Luke offered as Han moved up the ramp of the ship. He and Leia gave their mother one last hug before they entered the ship, each looking back and smiling.

Padmé watched them disappear, a happy smile on her face. She was very pleased to have her children, seeing the goodness that existed inside them. She was proud of all their accomplishments. She stayed put and watched the ship take off, her eyes following it's every move until it disappeared from the skyline. In her mind, she planned her own trip six months down the line. She turned to her escort and walked to him and the awaiting speeder. "Have a crew make sure that my ship is in top condition six months from now," she ordered.

Kenny nodded. "Will do, Milady," he complied.

"In the meantime we have some work to do," Padmé told him, allowing him to assist her into the speeder, accustomed to the chivalry.


	4. Authors Note

_**A/N:**_ _For anyone who didn't know, I have the sequel to this story, Seek Solace posted and the second chapter will be posted very soon. Look for it in my profile. Enjoy._

_Charlie.  
_


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